Withdrawing From/Not Returning to Miami
If you are leaving Miami University during a current semester/term OR if you are planning not to return for a future semester/term, you must submit the Withdrawal/Not Returning Application by the posted deadline on the academic calendar. After submitting the form, you will receive an email with information about your next steps.
Withdrawing from Miami is a formal procedure; merely ceasing to attend class(es) does not void a student’s financial responsibility. Failure to officially withdraw will result in a notation of unofficial withdrawal and failing and/or non-completion grades will be recorded for all courses.
Complete information about withdrawing from Miami is available in the Policy Library:
Financial Aid
Withdrawal from the University may have financial aid repercussions. Students are strongly encouraged to speak with a One Stop staff member regarding withdrawal and financial aid.
Oxford students: OneStop@MiamiOH.edu, 513-529-0001, or visit us in Nellie Craig Walker Hall
Regional students: RegOneStop@MiamiOH.edu, 513-217-4111, or visit us in 102 Mosler Hall (Hamilton campus) or 114 Johnston Hall (Middletown campus)
Title IV Withdrawal Consumer Information
Treatment of Title IV Aid When a Student Withdraws
The law specifies how your school must determine the amount of Title IV program assistance that you earn if you withdraw from school. The Title IV programs that are covered by this law are Federal Pell Grants, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants, TEACH Grants, Direct Loans, Direct PLUS Loans, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOGs), and Federal Perkins Loans.
Though your aid is posted to your account at the start of each period, you earn the funds as you complete the period. If you withdraw during your payment period or period of enrollment (your school can define these for you and tell you which one applies to you), the amount of Title IV program assistance that you have earned up to that point is determined by a specific formula. If you received (or your school or parent received on your behalf) less assistance than the amount that you earned, you may be able to receive those additional funds. If you received more assistance than you earned, the excess funds must be returned by the school and/ or you.
The amount of assistance that you have earned is determined on a pro rata basis. For example, if you completed 30% of your payment period or period of enrollment, you earn 30% of the assistance you were originally scheduled to receive. Once you have completed more than 60% of the payment period or period of enrollment, you earn all the assistance that you were scheduled to receive for that period.
If you did not receive all of the funds that you earned, you may be due a post-withdrawal disbursement. If your post-withdrawal disbursement includes loan funds, your school must get your permission before it can disburse them. You may choose to decline some or all of the loan funds so that you don’t incur additional debt. Your school may automatically use all or a portion of your post-withdrawal disbursement of grant funds for tuition, fees, and room and board charges (as contracted with the school). The school needs your permission to use the post-withdrawal grant disbursement for all other institutional charges. If you do not give your permission (some schools ask for this when you enroll), you will be offered the funds. However, it may be in your best interest to allow the school to keep the funds to reduce your debt at the school.
There are some Title IV funds that you were scheduled to receive that cannot be disbursed to you once you withdraw because of other eligibility requirements. For example, if you are a first-time, first-year undergraduate student and you have not completed the first 30 days of your program before you withdraw, you will not receive any Direct Loan funds that you would have received had you remained enrolled past the 30th day.
If you receive (or your school or parent receive on your behalf) excess Title IV program funds that must be returned, your school must return a portion of the excess equal to the lesser of:
- your institutional charges multiplied by the unearned percentage of your funds, or
- the entire amount of excess funds. The school must return this amount even if it didn’t keep this amount of your Title IV program funds. If your school is not required to return all of the excess funds, you must return the remaining amount.
For any loan funds that you must return, you (or your parent for a Direct PLUS Loan) repay in accordance with the terms of the promissory note. That is, you make scheduled payments to the holder of the loan over a period of time.
Any amount of unearned grant funds that you must return is called an overpayment. The maximum amount of a grant overpayment that you must repay is half of the grant funds you received or were scheduled to receive. You do not have to repay a grant overpayment if the original amount of the overpayment is $50 or less. You must make arrangements with your school or the Department of Education to return the unearned grant funds.
The requirements for Title IV program funds when you withdraw are separate from any refund policy that your school may have. Therefore, you may still owe funds to the school to cover unpaid institutional charges. Your school may also charge you for any Title IV program funds that the school was required to return. If you don’t already know your school’s refund policy , you should ask your school for a copy. Your school can also provide you with the requirements and procedures for officially withdrawing from school.
Order of return of Title IV funds
A school must return Title IV funds to the programs from which the student received aid during the payment period or period of enrollment as applicable, in the following order, up to the net amount disbursed from each source:
- Unsubsidized Direct Loans (other than Direct PLUS Loans)
- Subsidized Direct Loans
- Federal Perkins Loans
- Direct PLUS Loans
- Federal Pell Grants for which a return of Title IV funds is required
- FSEOG for which a return of Title IV funds is required
- TEACH Grants for which a return of Title IV funds is required
- Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant, for which a return of Title IV funds is required
Deadlines
A school must offer any post-withdrawal disbursement of loan funds within 30 days of the date the school determined the student withdrew. A school must always return any unearned Title IV funds it is responsible for returning within 45 days of the date the school determined the student withdrew.
If you have questions about your Title IV program funds, you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FEDAID (1-800-433-3243). TTY users may call 1-800-730-8913. Information is also available on Student Aid on the Web at www.studentaid.ed.gov.
Housing
Students living in on-campus housing should complete the Campus Service Center’s Not Returning to Housing Next Semester form. For further questions, contact the Campus Service Center.
Active Military, Veterans, Family Members Using VA Benefits
If you are a student receiving Veterans Administration (VA) benefits (active duty, veterans, and/or family members using benefits) and are considering withdrawing from Miami, you are strongly encouraged to contact the One Stop to discuss possible consequences based on the timing in the semester/term and to explore options for either remaining enrolled as a student and/or returning for a future semester/term.
If you decide you are going to withdraw from Miami, submit the Withdrawal/Not Returning Form as indicated above.