Drop/Withdrawal Process

Please note dropping a class or a withdrawal from all of your classes often reduces your financial aid award and can create a balance owed to Wright State University. If you're thinking of dropping a class or a complete withdrawal from all of your classes and would like to know the effects it may have on your financial aid award, please contact our office. Dropping a class or a withdrawal from all of your classes can aslo impact your ability to meet requirements for satisfactory academic progress.

Proration of Financial Aid Awards (Dropping a Class)

Your Award Notice is based upon full-time enrollment status [twelve (12) or more credit hours each quarter for undergraduates; eight (8) or more credit hours each quarter for graduates] even if three-quarter time, half-time, or less than half-time anticipated enrollment was listed on the FAFSA.

Although your Award Notice will display your financial aid eligibility based upon full-time enrollment, the amount of aid that will actually disburse to your student account shall be based upon your registered credit hours. For example, if you register half-time, then the amount of aid disbursed to you will be prorated based upon half-time eligibility, while your Award Notice still displays your full-time eligibility.

Please note, each time you adjust your registration prior to a quarter's financial aid freeze date, the amount of aid disbursed to you will be evaluated for proration and your student account will be adjusted as required. For example, if you drop from full-time enrollment to less than full-time enrollment prior to a quarter's freeze date the amount of aid disbursed to you will be evaluated for proration and possibly reduced. Likewise, if you increase your enrollment from less than full-time to full-time prior to a quarter's freeze date the amount of aid disbursed to you will be evaluated for proration and possibly increased. After a quarter's Financial Aid freeze date has passed your aid awards will no longer be evaluated for proration. Your aid awards may still be adjusted after the Financial Aid freeze date if you officially or unofficially withdrawal from the quarter, receive a refund of institutional charges, or become eligible for financial aid for a quarter after that quarter's freeze date has passed.

The following chart illustrates an example of the proration of full-time awards for an undergraduate student. The amount of your actual financial aid awards is determined by your calculated need.

*Federal Stafford and PLUS Loans are not prorated; however, half-time enrollment is required at the time of disbursement in order to be eligible for disbursement. Half-time enrollment is also required for the Federal Perkins Loan. Many institutional scholarships require full-time enrollment status in order to be eligible for disbursement.

Financial Aid Freeze Date

Proration of financial aid awards ceases after each quarter's freeze date. After the freeze date has passed, the amount of aid disbursed to your student account will be held at the appropriate amounts based on your recorded enrollment status on the freeze date. Your aid awards may be adjusted after the Financial Aid freeze date if you officially or unofficially withdrawal from the quarter, receive a refund of institutional charges, or become eligible for financial aid for a quarter after that quarter's freeze date has passed.

Note: Often student loan borrowers must maintain half-time enrollment to defer loan repayment and retain eligibility for subsequent loan disbursements (on loans guaranteed for a loan period that includes the quarter in which the student dropped below half-time enrollment).

Withdrawal from WSU

Federal student aid (Title IV) recipients who officially withdrawal from all of their classes prior to completing more than 60% of the quarter are subject to the Federal Return of Title IV Funds calculation.  This calculation establishes the amount of aid the student has earned and the amount of aid that WSU is required to return to the federal student aid programs.  A return of federal student aid often results in the student owing money to WSU.  This calculation is also required to be performed for those federal student aid recipients who unofficially withdrawal from all of their classes.  Click here to view and/or print the Federal Return of Title IV Funds policy. 

All or a portion of any balance owed to WSU as result of the Return of Title IV Funds calculation may be paid from a refund of institutional charges.  Appeal procedures regarding charges and refunds of instructional fees, late registration fees, and drop fees are available at the Office of the Registrar.  For appeal procedures for a refund/cancellation of on-campus housing charges/contracts, students should contact the Office of Residence Services.