IMPORTANT CONTACTS WHEN WITHDRAWING FROM THE UNIVERSITY

Department of Residence 010 Redeker Center

Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0252 Phone: 319-273-2333

Email: residence@uni.edu

Office of Business Operations 103 Gilchrist Hall

Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0008 Phone: 319-273-2162

Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships 105 Gilchrist Hall

Cedar Falls, IA 50614 Phone: 319-273-2700 Email: fin-aid@uni.edu

Office of the Registrar 115 Gilchrist Hall

Cedar Falls, IA 50614 Phone: 319-273-2241

Email: registrar@uni.edu

DROPPING VS. WITHDRAWAL

What it means to Withdraw: Students may find themselves in a situation that requires them to withdraw from all of their courses at some point throughout the semester. In these situations, depending on what time of the semester a student chooses to withdraw, complications may arise with financial aid eligibility, tuition and fees, and academic standing. In an effort to educate students, the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships and Office of the Registrar have combined efforts to provide a comprehensive overview of the withdrawal process and the implications it may have with each office.

Dropping Classes: Students have the ability to drop any of their courses within the first two weeks of the fall and spring semesters without receiving a grade. As long as the student maintains a full-time enrollment status (12 credit hours or above for undergraduates, 9 for graduates) their tuition & fees and financial aid will not be adjusted. Students who drop below full time will receive a tuition credit (See catalog for summer information.)

What is a “W”: Students dropping courses after the first two weeks of the fall or spring semesters will receive a “W” for their grade. A “W” (which stands for withdrawal) has no impact on a student’s GPA, but will be recorded on the student’s transcript, indicating that the student was enrolled in the course but withdrew during the withdrawal time period. The “W” time period extends from the second to tenth week of classes. After the tenth week of class, students who withdraw from any of their courses will receive an “F” as their final grade, unless they have been approved (due to extenuating circumstances) for a withdrawl from all of their classes for that semester by the Provost’s office through the student request process. Please refer to the “Dates to Observe” webpage on the Office of the Registrar website for specific date and times regarding withdrawal: uni.edu/registrar/

Partial Withdrawal: Students planning to withdraw from an individual course/s and wish to remain enrolled in their other courses would only be performing a partial withdrawal. To withdraw from an individual course during the semester, a student needs to fill out an Add/Drop form through the Office of the Registrar.

Total Withdrawal: Students who are looking to withdraw from all of their courses during the semester would be performing a total withdrawal. A student looking to perform a total withdraw from the university needs to fill out a withdrawal form through the Office of the Registrar. This form can also be found on the Registrar’s Website and submitted electronically through the students UNI email: uni.edu/registrar/

Re-Enrollment: Students who have previously withdrawn from the university and would like to re-enroll in a future semester must contact the Office of the Registrar to be term-activated. Students may then continue to pursue their academics as normal unless their academic standing reflects that of a suspension. Students will also want to contact the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships to ensure their financial aid award is available for the semester they are planning to return.

WITHDRAWING FROM THE UNIVERSITY

AND THE IMPACT ON FINANCIAL AID, TUITION AND FEES, AND ACADEMIC STANDING

Dropping Classes: Students who drop courses during the first two weeks of class and drop below full-time enrollment (but are still enrolled) will have their grants prorated accordingly as well as having to return all scholarship money they may have received.

Withdrawal from Classes: Students who withdraw from ALL of their courses before 60 percent of the semester has passed are required to return unearned federal student aid in a proportion equal to the time not in attendance. For example, if a student completes 30 percent of the semester, then 30 percent of the federal aid received may be retained and the other 70 percent of federal aid must be returned in the following order: federal loans, federal grants, state programs, UNI grants and scholarships, outside agencies.

Unofficial Withdrawals At the end of each semester, the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships reviews the status of students who received all “F” grades. If a student stops attending all classes during a semester, but fails to officially withdraw, the student will be considered “unofficially withdrawn” and is at risk of having their financial aid returned.

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements “W “ grades do not affect a student’s GPA but are considered in the calculation of their student academic progress (SAP) which students must maintain in order to be eligible for financial aid. A student’s financial aid standing is measured in three components:

• Minimum GPA: Undergraduate students must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA. Graduate students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.

• Pace of Progression: Students must complete 67% of all coursework attempted at UNI. Only grades of A, B, C, D, X, Cr, or P are counted as meeting the required hours. Failed, withdrawn, and incomplete grades do not count as completed credit hours and will negatively affect the SAP calculation.

• Maximum Time to Complete a Degree: Students who have completed all course and hour requirements to earn a degree will no longer qualify for financial aid.

Financial Aid Suspension and Probation • Financial Aid suspension is placed upon any student who fails to meet the

SAP requirements listed above. Students must appeal in order to have their financial aid reinstated.

• Financial Aid probation is available for students who have successfully appealed to have their aid reinstated. Students must continue to adhere to the SAP requirements and any other conditions listed on their appeal contract to avoid being place back on suspension.

For more information regarding suspension and probation of financial aid, please visit the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships website: uni.edu/finaid/academic-progress

Tuition and Fees: Students who completely withdraw from the institution may be entitled to a refund depending on the date of withdrawal. Please see the following chart below indicating tuition refund percentages.

Fall & Spring Tuition Refund Chart

Class Dates Refund %

Before Classes Begin 100

During 1st Week 90

During 2nd Week 75

During 3rd Week 50

During 4th Week 25

After 4th Week 0

Summer-Sessions: Summer courses follow a different withdrawal schedule as they are shorter and vary in length. Please see the following chart below indicating tuition refund percentages during the summer sessions.

Eight-Week Sessions

Class days Refund %

Before Classes Begin 100

Days 1-3 90

Days 4-6 75

Days 7-8 50

Days 9-10 25

11th Day and Beyond 0

Impact on Academic Standing: Students withdrawing from courses after the 10th week of class run the risk of jeopardizing their academic standing with the institution. Withdrawing from courses after the 10th week will result in receiving a “F” as a final grade, which can negatively impact a student’s academic standing at the University (please note that spring break does not count as an academic week). Students must maintain a UNI GPA of 2.0 in order to be considered in good academic standing. Please see the following information below regarding academic standing.

ACADEMIC ALERT• Any first-semester student who has a 1.00 – 1.99 semester GPA will receive a

first semester academic alert.

ACADEMIC PROBATION• Any first-semester student who has a semester GPA below 1.0 will be placed

on academic probation.

• Any continuing students will be placed on academic probation when their UNI GPA is below a 2.0.

ACADEMIC SUSPENSION • A student on academic probation who fails to earn a semester GPA of 2.0

will be academically suspended. Academic suspension is for a minimum period of one calendar year.

For more information on academic standing, please visit the Office of the Registrar’s website for a detailed listing of the requirements: uni.edu/registrar

Withdrawals May Also Impact: Department of Residence Students living in a residence hall/housing withdrawing from the university must also cancel their housing contract through the Department of Residence.

Office of Business Operations If a student has an unpaid U-bill they will want to contact the Business Operations Office in order to take care of that charge or set up a payment plan.

*Please see back panel for contact information.

Four-Week Sessions

Class days Refund %

Before Classes Begin 100

Days 1-2 90

Day 3 75

Day 4 50

Day 5 25

6th Day and Beyond 0

Six-Week Sessions

Class days Refund %

Before Classes Begin 100

Days 1-2 90

Days 3-4 75

Days 5-6 50

Days 7-8 25

9th Day and Beyond 0

IMPACT ON FINANCIAL AID AWARD IMPACT ON TUITION AND FEES