Withdrawing from UTSA & Financial Aid Impact

Students who receive financial aid funds at UTSA and subsequently withdraw from that same term (for any reason) should be aware of the repercussions withdrawals will have on their financial aid in the current semester and in future semesters. Financial aid is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. The federal government mandates that students who withdraw or fail to complete all classes within a term may only keep the financial aid they have "earned" up to the time of withdrawal. Any unearned aid must be returned regardless if it's already been disbursed. This situation (called Return of Title IV Funds or R2T4) could result in the student owing aid funds to the University, government or both. Title IV funds include federal programs such as Pell, SEOG, Stafford Loans, etc. The higher number of class days completed, the lower the amount of financial aid that must be returned. Once a student has completed more than 60% of the semester, the student is allowed to keep 100% of aid even if a withdrawal occurs after that point. If you are considering withdrawing, please speak with our office so we can best advise you for financial aid repercussions.

What is a withdrawal versus a drop?
Will I owe a balance if I withdraw?
How am I notified if I owe a balance due to R2T4?
How does R2T4 work during the summer?
Does withdrawing affect Satisfactory Academic Progress?
If I withdraw, what happens to future semester of aid?

What is a withdrawal versus a drop?

Drop: Refers to removing one or more individual courses from your schedule but remaining enrolled in other courses for the same term.

Withdraw: Refers to removing all courses from your schedule and no longer attending the university for a specific term.

Unofficial withdrawal: Refers to a student who remains enrolled in courses in a term but stops attending all courses.

Will I owe a balance if I withdraw?

It depends. Any balance that you may owe would depend on the amount of funds received, the date of the withdrawal (or your last date of attendance) and if you will be entitled to any refund of tuition and fees as desigated in the Academic Calendar for the semester you are withdrawing.

Financial Aid & Enrollment Services must calculate any percentage owed and return your unearned percentage within 45 days of your withdrawal. You will be sent a letter detailing what was returned, and what, if any, balance is owed to UTSA. Even if you get a refund of tuition and fees, you may still owe UTSA money after the R2T4 Calculation has been processed. Refunds of tuition and fees, if applicable, are processed much faster than Return of Title IV, and will sometimes result in a student first receiving a refund and then owing a balance. You should not cash your refund until you know what your final R2T4 balance will be. For a complete listing of the tuition and fees refund scheudle is available by semester in the Schedule of Classes under the Academic Calendar for that semester.

Any resulting remaining balance must be paid to UTSA. You may pay your balance by cash, check, or money order at Fiscal Services, or online through the ASAP system with a credit card (Mastercard, Discover, or American Express) or e-check.

How am I notified if I owe a balance due to R2T4?

Student Financial Aid & Enrollment Servicves will notify you if you owe a balance due to R2T4 by sending you a letter to your mailing address that you've indicated on ASAP. Any account balance will appear on ASAP as well. You are responsible for maintaining an updated mailing address, phone number and email address in ASAP.

Does withdrawing affect Satisfactory Academic Progress?

Yes, it can. Please view our requirements for maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress to remain eligible for subsequent semesters of financial aid.

If I withdraw what happens to future semesters of aid?

If you withdraw or stop attending in the Fall term, we will cancel the Spring disbursements of your loans and any grants you were receiving. If you plan to return in the Spring you will need to submit a Spring Enrollment Change Form requesting to reinstate your Spring aid. If you withdraw in the Spring semester, you will need to submit a Summer Application to be awarded summer aid. Please note that withdrawing may have an effect on your Satisfactory Acadmic Progress. Please view our requirements to maintain financial aid eligibility.

If you have had Federal loans as part of your financial aid, either this year or in previous years, you are required to complete Loan Exit Counseling any time you fall below half-time enrollment. Please complete Online Exit Counseling to clear your Exit Requirement. If you have taken out loans for the semester in which you withdrew, these loans will still count toward your aggregate limit (the total amount of loans you are allowed to borrow while you are a student). Whenever possible, you should bring back any refund you have received and request that portion of your loans be canceled and sent back to the lender.

Earned aid dates for Fall, Spring and Summer

Fall 2012:

November 5, 2012

Spring 2013:

March 29, 2013

Summer 2013:

TBA