Students sometimes find that they need to withdraw from school. Whatever the reason, you should first discuss your decision with the following school officials:
*An academic advisor in your college or department.
*The Office of the Registrar who can guide you through the withdrawal process.
*The Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships (OFAS) - Contact Us
*Campus Housing to determine any impact withdrawing will have on housing charges (if applicable).
*Student Health to determine any impact withdrawing will have on insurance charges (if applicable).
For more information regarding the effects of withdrawing on Financial Aid, please review our Return to Title IV funds policy. This policy does not apply to students who cancel their registration prior to the first day of classes or to students who drop some but not all of their classes. However, students should notify our office of any changes they make because their continued eligibility may be affected.
What happens to your aid if you withdraw?
Financial Aid recipients who withdraw may lose all or some of their financial aid eligibility. Title IV funds are awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the aid is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of Title IV funds that they were originally scheduled to receive.
What types of aid may be affected?
All federal aid programs, including Direct Loans, Parent/Graduate PLUS, Pell grant, SEOG, may be reduced. Our school may also be required to reduce Institutional funds, such as the UCSB grant and other Scholarships. Further, state aid such as Cal Grant and MCS may also be reduced as a result of withdrawal. If the student is Work-Study employee, they will no longer be eligible to receive payment from federal Work-Study funds effective immediately upon withdrawal.
How do we determine the amount of aid you can keep?
When a student withdraws, we must calculate the amount of financial aid earned prior to withdrawing. A calculation is run to determine the percentage of the quarter the student attended (this is the # of calendar days attended divided by total calendar days in the term). This also represents the “earned aid” percentage that a student is eligible to keep. Any Title IV aid received in excess of the earned amount is considered unearned. Unearned aid must be returned back to the respective federal aid program.
Example:
Total days attended / total days in quarter = % completion
Unearned aid % = 100 - completion percentage
Aid amount reduction = Unearned % x Total aid disbursed
If a student withdraws after the 60% date of the term, there are no unearned funds. Return of aid only applies to students who withdraw prior to the 60% date of the term. Withdrawal after this point will not result in any adjustments to financial aid for that quarter.
What about the fee refund for withdrawing?
Based on the withdrawal date determined by the Office of Registrar, students may receive a full or partial fee refund. Refund of fees is based on the number of calendar days (not school days) completed until the date the withdrawal petition is filed. The refund schedule is based on whether the student is new or continuing. It can be found on the Office of Registrar’s website, under the Fees & Residency tab.
In most instances, the fee refund (reduction of charges) will be less than the total unearned aid amount (reduction of aid). As a result, when a student withdraws, it is likely that a balance will be created on the student’s BARC account for the difference between the fee refund and the return of aid amount. The student is responsible for paying this balance.
Unofficial Withdrawal ("Walk-Away")
Do not stop attending your classes without officially withdrawing. Students who are given all F, U (Unsatisfactory), or NP (No Pass) grades in a term are considered to have walked away from school, and will be treated as unofficially withdrawn. This means their disbursed financial aid will be reduced according to federal regulations - unofficial withdrawals are calculated at the midpoint of the term (50% completion). This 50% reduction (bill back) of aid applies to both federal and institutional funding. *Please note: Withdrawal policies are separate from our Census Date Policy, which can be viewed
here.
Tips on Withdrawing
- Do not cease attending your classes without attempting to formally withdraw.
- Review and promptly pay any BARC balance owed after a withdrawal.
- Consult with a Financial Aid staff member if you have any questions regarding the process.
- Our office always emails the results of a withdrawal calculation, including required aid reductions, to student U-mail addresses.
Returning to UCSB
If you wish to register at UCSB after having been absent for at least one quarter, after having been lapsed, or after a complete withdrawal, you must file an application for readmission with the Office of the Registrar. Please keep in mind that there are strict deadlines for readmission applications. Graduate students who wish to register after a break in enrollment must petition for reinstatement with the Graduate Division.
If you are readmitted to UCSB and you have applied for Financial Aid for the academic year in which you are returning to UCSB, our office will reinstate your Financial Aid award.