Tuition Adjustments and Withdrawal Policy
- Dropping Courses: reducing course load but remaining enrolled (not dropping all courses).
- Withdrawal: Officially withdrawing from all courses and leaving the University.
Class Length
- Determined by the posted start and end dates for the class. Changes made by instructors do not affect tuition adjustments.
Tuition and Fee Adjustments:
- With no adjustments, all tuition and fee charges remain on accounts beyond the add/drop period.
- Should a student withdraw entirely from the university, adjustments to charges are as follows:
Tuition & Fee
| Classes 12 Weeks or Longer | Prior To | Reduction |
|---|---|---|
| Prior to the end of the second week | 14 days | 100% |
| Prior to the end of the fourth week | 28 days | 75% |
| Prior to the end of the sixth week | 42 days | 50% |
| Prior to the end of the eighth week | 55 days | 25% |
| After the eighth week | 56 days | 0% |
| Classes 11 Weeks or Less | Prior To | Reduction |
|---|---|---|
| 11 weeks in length: | 11 days | 100% |
| 10 weeks in length: | 10 days | 100% |
| 9 weeks in length: | 9 days | 100% |
| 8 weeks in length: | 8 days | 100% |
| 7 weeks in length: | 7 days | 100% |
| 6 weeks in length: | 6 days | 100% |
| 5 weeks in length: | 5 days | 100% |
| 4 weeks in length: | 4 days | 100% |
| 3 weeks in length: | 3 days | 100% |
| 2 weeks in length: | 2 days | 100% |
| 1 week in length: | 1 day | 100% |
*** No additional adjustments to tuition and fees are authorized on classes 11 weeks or less when the withdrawal occurs after the schedule listed above.***
Financial Aid Impact:
- Aid may be adjusted if students reduce credit hours, withdraw, or fail to complete the semester.
- Students may owe a balance if aid is reduced. Failure to pay balances can result in referral late fees and referral to a collections agency.
Withdrawing and Its Impact on Aid
- Federal aid assumes attendance for the entire period. Withdrawing early requires aid recalculation per U.S. Department of Education rules.
- Students earning a zero GPA are reviewed to determine the last date of attendance, which may trigger aid adjustments.
- Return to Title IV Funds:
- Refunds are calculated based on the percentage of the enrollment period completed.
- The institution has 45 days from the date the institution determines that a student withdrew to return all unearned funds for which it is responsible.
- Funds are returned in a prescribed order per the Higher Education Act:
- Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans,
- Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans,
- Federal PLUS (Parent) Loans,
- Federal Pell Grant,
- Academic Competitiveness Grant,
- National SMART Grant,
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG),
- Other Title IV aid programs,
- Other federal, state, private or institutional aid,
- The student.
STUDENTS THAT WITHDRAW: Calculation is based on the last date of attendance as reported by the UMA Registrar’s Office.
STUDENTS WITH A ZERO GPA: Students with any assigned grades other than “A” through “D”; including but not limited to: “L”, “MG”, and “W”. “I” and “F” grades will be reviewed based on faculty reporting and conflicting information. Federal policy requires that colleges determine the last date of attendance for each student every semester. If a student who began attendance and has not officially withdrawn fails to earn a passing grade in at least one course offered over an entire period, the institution must assume, for Title IV purposes, that the student has unofficially withdrawn. As UMA does not have a formal Leave of Absence policy, the Return to Title IV recalculation will occur at the time of the 0 GPA reporting.
Return of Title IV Funds/Institutional Refunds
When a student withdraws, University policies and federal requirements may result in charges and financial aid being reduced. If a last date of attendance is on or before the 60% point of the enrollment period, the federal refund calculation is performed. These refund calculations follow a specific percentage of adjustment based on the date of withdrawal and may require a return of financial aid to the financial aid accounts. Refund calculations take into account all federal financial aid received. The calculation is generally based upon the percentage of the enrollment period that has been completed. Unearned funds that a student owes to a grant program are treated as an overpayment or makes satisfactory repayment arrangements within 45 days from the earlier of (1) the date the institution sends the student notification of the overpayment; or (2) the date by which the institution was required to notify the student of the overpayment (30 days after the date of the institution’s determination that the student withdrew).
The last date of attendance is determined to be the withdrawal date. If the student ceases attendance without providing official notification of withdrawal to the institution, the mid-point of the payment period will be the withdrawal date for the purpose of returning Title IV funds.
Return of Meal Plan Funds
Any meal plans purchased voluntarily through UMA or Sodexo are valid for the entire time you are an active student within the University of Maine System. Upon completion of your degree or withdrawal from the System, you forfeit any remaining funds. Refunds may only be issued for any remaining balance of funds within the same semester that the meal plan is purchased should the meal plan holder withdraw from the System.