Columbia College is an attendance-taking institution and must determine a student’s withdrawal date in order to determine whether the student’s unearned federal financial aid must be returned. For Title IV purposes, a student is considered to have withdrawn if:
- They cease attendance from all courses eligible for Title IV aid
- They do not complete all days within the payment period
The withdrawal date is always the last date of attendance at an academically related activity by a student as recorded by an instructor.
The responsibility to repay unearned Title IV aid is shared by Columbia College and the student. For example, the calculation may require Columbia College to return a portion of federal funds to the Federal Title IV programs. In addition, the student may also be required to return funds based on the calculation. A student returns funds to the Federal Stafford loan programs based on the terms and conditions of the promissory note of the loan.
The return of federal aid is in the following order: Unsubsidized Federal Direct loans, Subsidized Federal Direct loans, Federal Perkins loans, Federal PLUS (parent) loans, Federal Pell Grants and Federal SEOG (Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant).
If a student has any withdrawn courses in an early 8-week session, Pell Grant eligibility will be reviewed for the following 8-week session.
For more information, see Return of Title IV Policy.