Withdrawals and Refunds

For 100% tuition refund during a short session, including Winter and Summer Terms or sub term at PennWest California, you must officially drop the course the day before the second class meeting.

Partial tuition refunds are available if you withdraw before the end of the short session, (including Winter and Summer Terms) based on the percentage of the term completed at the point of withdrawal.

Refunds are made to the amount of the charge, not the amount that has been paid to date. Pennsylvania Tech Fee and special fees associated with specific majors remain at 100% charge. Room adjustments may not follow this schedule. E-mail the Office of Residence Life or call 724-938-4444 for more details. To request refund information about refunds for board and Dine Dollars, contact the CalCard Office at 724-938-4300.

The schedule below applies only to short session, Winter and Summer Terms or (sub-term) courses and excludes normal academic term and mix of short session and 16-week courses. If you receive financial aid and have questions, contact the Student Accounts Office.

Summer 2022 Tuition Adjustment Schedules

PASSHE Refund Policy Percentages	< 8.5%	8.51- 12.5%	12.51 - 19.44%	19.45 - 26.39%	26.40 - 33.33%	GT 33.33%
	0% Charge	20% Charge	40% Charge	50% Charge	60% Charge	100% Charge

 

What Happens to My Financial Aid if I Withdraw from the University?

If you officially withdraw from the University, you are still responsible for the repayment of any financial aid you may have received and the return of aid that was disbursed for the semester in which you withdraw. There are strict rules regarding the refund and repayment of financial aid.

Return of Title IV Funds Formula

Two formulas guide the return of financial aid - the

PennWest California

Refund Policy and the federal Return of Title IV Aid formula.

The federal formula is applicable to any student receiving federal aid who withdraws from the University during the first 60% of a semester. These students will have their federal financial aid (Pell Grants, Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants, Perkins Loans, Federal Stafford Loans and Plus Loans) adjusted based on the percent of the semester completed before the withdrawal. In essence, students will be entitled to retain the same percent of the federal financial aid received as the percent of the semester completed. This percent is calculated by dividing the number of days in the semester (excluding breaks of five days or longer) into the number of days completed prior to the withdrawal (excluding breaks of five days or longer). Breaks are determined based on the academic calendar and are subject to change. There will be no adjustment to federal financial aid after the completion of at least 60% of the semester. Students will be responsible for 100% of the federal aid they were granted.

If any refund remains after the required return of Title IV aid, the refund will be used to repay

PennWest California

funds, state grant funds, other private sources and the student in proportion to the amount paid by each non-federal source, as long as there was no unpaid balance due at the time of withdrawal. If there is an unpaid balance, then all aid sources will be repaid before any refund is paid to the student.

What Happens to Financial Aid That I Am Not Eligible to Receive when I Withdraw?

PennWest California

must return the unused portion of your federal Title IV federal aid to the programs from which you received aid in the following order:

1. Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
2. Subsidized Stafford Loan
3. Perkins Loans
4. Federal PLUS Loans
5. Federal Pell Grants
6. Federal ACG and National SMART Grants
7. Federal SEOG

You are responsible for returning the difference between the amount of unearned aid and the amount returned by

PennWest California

to appropriate federal aid programs.

Will I Owe Any Money After I Withdraw from

PennWest California

?

Yes. In most situations, a student who withdraws during the first 60% of a semester will owe a balance to the University. The amount of the balance will depend on the charges the student incurred and amount of financial aid earned at the time of the student's withdrawal from the University. The reason is that the new federal formula does not adjust federal aid at the same percentage rate as University fees are adjusted. For a schedule of University fees and adjustments, click here.

In some cases, a student may receive a refund of financial aid before withdrawing from the University. In this case, he/she will be notified by the Student Accounts Office (formerly the Bursar's Office) and will be given 30 days to repay the funds to the University.

When Will I Know if I Owe Money to

PennWest California

?

Approximately two weeks after the Financial Aid Office has made the necessary adjustments to your financial aid awards, the Student Accounts Office will send you a billing statement for the balance owed to the University. A "hold" will be placed on your records, thereby preventing you from registering for subsequent semesters at the University until the balance on your account is paid in full. 

Withdrawing from

PennWest California

Making the decision to withdraw from the University can be difficult, and we want you to be able to make an informed decision.  Please review the following definitions of "Withdrawal" so that you can make the best choice on which office/person you need to contact. You will then need to contact the office or person listed below to complete the withdrawal process. Upon contacting the proper office or person you will be walked through the process and if necessary counseled on the effects of withdrawing. Students seeking to withdraw from all courses should carefully consider such an important decision and its impact on their academic career and financial aid status.

If you are receiving federal aid, be aware that a total withdraw will likely result in your financial aid being adjusted and reduced. As a result, you would then owe payment to the University. It can also reduce your future eligibility for financial aid. Consult this link; Financial Aid for more information. If you are unsure about how a total withdrawal may impact your financial aid or if your reason for withdrawal is due to financing, please contact the Financial Aid Office before proceeding, finaid-cal@pennwest.edu or 724-938-4415.

Please review the criteria for drop/add tuition refunds from the Student Accounts Office  to see what your financial obligation to the University would be after your withdrawal. Please contact the Student Accounts Office if you have any questions regarding your bill after withdrawal, at StudentAccounts@pennwest.edu or 724-938-4431.

There are several types of withdrawals, please read each carefully and then contact the corresponding department to complete the withdrawal process:

Withdrawals from a Course after the Drop/Add Period for a Semester

Please contact the Office of Academic Records
Dixon Hall, Room 122
E-mail: academicrecords@pennwest.edu
Phone: 724-938-4435

Undergraduate Students, All Classes (Not Global Online)

Office of A Student Scheduling
Noss Hall  Room 210
E-Mail:  schedulingcenter@pennwest.edu
Phone: 724-938-1608

Graduate Students, All Classes

School of Graduate Studies and Research
Eberly Hall, Room 202
E-Mail:  calugo@pennwest.edu
Phone: 724-938-4187

Medical Reasons, All Classes (All Students)

Please contact Brenda DePaoli, Executive Staff Assistant
Office of Student Affairs
Natali Student Center, Suite 311
E-mail: depaoli@pennwest.edu
Phone: 724-938-4439

***FAILURE TO OFFICIALLY WITHDRAW/DROP, ATTEND CLASSES, OR PAY FOR A CLASS DOES NOT DISMISS YOUR FINANCIAL OBLIGATION.***

Drop/Withdraw Process for students in Global Online Programs:

In the event that you are registered for the term and do not plan on attending, you must officially withdraw from your classes either through my.pennwest.edu or by contacting the Office of the
Registrar at Registrar@pennwest.edu

Failure to do so may result in your final grades being recorded as “F” grades for the term.

Tuition refunds after the add/drop period will be prorated for COMPLETE WITHDRAWALS ONLY.  Please contact Global Online at 1-866-595-6348 or calugo@pennwest.edu for the percentage refund.

Please Note: Withdrawing from even one course after the add/drop period can potentially have a negative impact on your eligibility for Federal and State Financial Aid. It is important that each student reviews the Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy before deciding whether or not to drop a course.

The University Refund Policy does not adjust tuition and fees at the same percentage rate as Financial Aid's Return of Title IV Funds Formula. Because of this, Federal Title IV Aid recipients who withdraw from the University during the first eight weeks of the semester may still owe a balance to the University.  For financial aid questions regarding policies and your status, please contact Jennifer Verscharen,

PennWest California

Financial Aid Representative, directly at (724) 938-4415 or finaid-cal@pennwest.edu.

If you have any questions on the refund policy, please contact the Student Accounts Office at studentaccounts@pennwest.edu or by phone at 724-938-4431.