Dropping and Withdrawing from Class

Dropping or withdrawing from classes can have an impact to your financial aid eligibility. Changes to your financial aid funding will vary based on when in the semester you make enrollment changes and what type of financial aid you have. Click here to schedule an appointment with your financial aid advisor prior to changing your enrollment. 

Dropping Classes

A class is considered “dropped” when you unenroll yourself from class before the “last day to drop with a refund”. When you drop a class, it no longer appears on your transcript and will not be assigned a grade nor will you be charged tuition.

Overaward is a required recalculation of aid when a student drops or does not attend their course(s) for the semester, reducing the total number of credit hours they are enrolled. Reduced enrollment has an impact on aid eligibility based on the criteria for each program. Click here for information on each aid program.

Withdrawing from Classes

A class is considered “withdrawn” if you unenroll yourself from class after the “last day to drop with a refund” and by the “last day to withdraw with a ‘W’,” the course will remain on your transcript with a grade of “W” and you will be charged tuition.

Withdrawing from your classes for the semester requires the Financial Aid Office to complete the Return of Title IV calculation to determine how much of your financial aid you have earned based on the percentage of the semester you completed. If the calculation determines a portion of your financial aid must be returned to the Department of Education, this often leaves a balance owed to the college you are responsible for paying.   

You are considered unofficially withdrawn from class when you stop attending without formally unenrolling. If you stop attending all classes for the semester the Financial Aid Office is required to complete the Return of Title IV calculation to determine your financial aid eligibility.

Officially or unofficially withdrawing from class(es) also impacts your ability to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards which impacts financial aid eligibility. Click here for more information about SAP. 
 

Return of Title IV Calculation

The Return of Title IV calculation is a required calculation to determine the amount of aid earned when a student does not attend all days scheduled for their registered course(s) within the semester.

A student who attends and completes at least one course that spans the entire term will have earned the aid for that term (as adjusted for dropped class(es) or class(es) not attended).

Effective July 1, 2021, a student who withdraws from a program offered in modules is not considered to have withdrawn for Return of Title IV purposes if the student completes:
• One module that includes 49 percent or more of the number of days in the payment period; or
• A combination of modules that when combined contain 49 percent or more of the number of days in the payment period.

Scheduled breaks of five or more consecutive days and all days between modules are excluded from the number of days in the payment period used to calculate whether the module(s) completed by the student comprise 49 percent of the payment period.

Documentation of attendance must be made by PVCC. A student’s self-certification of attendance is NOT acceptable unless supported by school’s documentation. Examples of attendance include:

  • Physical class attendance where there is direct interaction between instructor and student.
  • Submission of an academic assignment.
  • Examination, interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction. 
  • Study group participation activity assigned by PVCC.
  • Participation in on-line discussion about academic matters.
  • Initiation of contact with instructor to ask a questions about academic subject (Logging in to an on-line class does NOT count as attendance.)

  • A student who withdraws from a module or dynamic class within the term without completing a module or combined modules that include 49 percent or more of the days in the term must still be attending another class or is considered to be a withdrawal, even if registered for future classes starting within the term. In this scenario, the student must at the time of withdrawal from a module or dynamic class complete and submit to the Financial Aid Office the 'Intent to Attend' form indicating their intention to attend (within 45 days) a future class within the term, or the student is considered to have withdrawn from the semester, and a Return of Title IV calculation must be completed. If the student submits the 'Intent to Attend' form but does not attend the future class, a Return of Title IV calculation will be required. The withdrawal date/last date of attendance date will be based on the original confirmed withdrawal date.

    Example: Student stops attending on October 1. Student submits the Intent to Attend form on October 15, but on October 30 it is reported the student did not begin the future course. 

    Return of Title IV calculation: 
    Total days within the semester = 114
    Total days attended = 40
    Total financial aid $5000

    40 / 114 = 35% earned

    $5000 * 35% = $1750 earned aid

PVCC must return the amount of unearned aid, up to the maximum received, to each Title IV aid program in the following order:

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan (Unsub Loan)
Federal Direct Subsidized Loan (SUB Loan)
Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan (PLUS Loan)
Federal Pell Grant (Pell)
Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

State grant aid must also be adjusted based on the Return of Title IV calculation. Students may only receive one state grant per semester.