Withdrawing or Dropping a Class
Table of Contents
Institutional Withdrawals
Students considering dropping a class(es) or withdrawing completely are encouraged to contact the financial aid office to evaluate the impact this decision will have on tuition, room & board charges and existing financial aid.
Definitions
- Withdrawing means the student will no longer attend any classes for the given term.
- Dropping a class or classes means the student will no longer attend one or more classes but remains enrolled in other classes for the given term.
- Refund Schedule is the percentage of original tuition refunded based on the date of the dropped class(es) or complete withdrawal. Calendar days begin the first day of classes.
Tuition Refund Schedule
16–Week Classes
- Calendar days 1–10 100%
- Calendar days 11–24 80%
- Calendar days 25–31 60%
- Calendar days 32–38 40%
- After 38 calendar days 0%
8-week classes
- Calendar days 1–7 100%
- Calendar days 8–15 60%
- Calendar days 16+ 0%
3– or 4– week classes
- Course days 1–2 100%
- Course days 3–4 50%
- Course days 5–6 25%
- Course days 7+ 0%
Room & Board Refund Schedule
Room and board charges are prorated based on the amount of time the student is on-campus for the given term. For refund purposes, calendar days begin the first day of classes.
Fall or Spring term:
- Calendar days 1–10: 85% refund
- Calendar days 11–24: 60% refund
- Calendar days 25–31: 30% refund
- Calendar days 32–56: 15% refund
- Calendar days 57 or more: 0% (no refund)
Other Charges
Laboratory fees, art material fees, application fees, health insurance fees, or other fees not listed here are non-refundable.
Process when a student drops a class(es)
Students dropping one or more courses, but not withdrawing completely may have their tuition charge adjusted, depending on the date of the dropped classes. Financial aid from all sources will be reviewed and may be reduced based on revised tuition charges. A student initiates dropping the class(es) by contacting the Registrar’s Office. It is not necessary for the student to notify the Financial Aid Office after dropping a class(es). Any needed adjustments to aid and/or tuition will be displayed on a subsequent bill from the Financial Services Office.
Process when a student withdraws completely from all classes
Students who withdraw completely before completing 60% of the semester will have their financial aid eligibility for the semester reevaluated based on revised tuition charges and length of time enrolled. Students may be required to return a portion of the aid they originally received to the appropriate federal, state or institutional program (see Calvin’s Return to Title IV Funds policy for greater details.).
Program specific details regarding returning federal, state or institutional funds for students who withdraw completely
- US Department of Education Federal (Title IV) Aid — If a student withdraws completely before completing 60% of the semester, Calvin will determine the percentage of federal aid the student has earned. The percentage is determined by dividing the total number of calendar days in the semester into the number of calendar days completed as of the withdrawal date. Any unearned aid must be returned. For greater detail please read Calvin’s Return to Title IV Funds policy.
- State of Michigan Aid — Eligibility for a state of Michigan award is based on a student’s enrollment on the 10th day of the given term. Any adjustments to enrollment after this date will not impact the state award.
- Institutional Aid — For students withdrawing completely a revised tuition charge will be calculated (if applicable) based on the withdrawal date as indicated above. If needed, reductions in institutional aid are calculated based on the ratio of original tuition charged and final, actual tuition charged.
If tuition, room and board recalculations result in the student owing Calvin, the student should work with the Financial Services Office to pay the remaining amount as quickly as possible. If the student is owed a refund, the Financial Services Office will issue a check or EFT to the student for the amount of the credit balance.
Graduate Students: Late Course Drops and Administrative Course Drops
- The last day in an 8-week course a student can drop the course without failing is the end of the fifth week. For example, if a course begins on a Tuesday, the deadline is Friday at 5 p.m. (although some discretion can be used to allow the weekend so that the deadline is the following Monday at 8 a.m.).
- A course not accessed by a student for the first week (5 days) after the course begins will be considered an ‘administrative drop’, meaning the student never existed in the course, and isn’t billed/charged for the course. Non-access after the first week will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Decisions about dropping courses are made in consultation with the retention manager, the student advisor, and the professor of the course.