Federal financial aid is also know as "Title IV aid." For the purposes of this policy, "Title IV aid" will refer to any and all federal funding - Pell Grants, Federal Supplement Educational Opportunity Grant, Subsidized Loans, Unsubsidized Loans, Parent PLUS and Graduate PLUS loans.
Title IV federal student aid eligibility is based on the percentage of time you are enrolled for the semester. If you received Title IV and other aid and withdraw from an entire semester, your aid may be adjusted according to the Federal Return of Title IV formula, as well as state grant and institutional policy. Your tuition may or may not be adjusted, and you will most likely owe money to the University after the withdrawal adjustments are complete.
This is only applicable to students who are utilizing federal and state aid, but other adjustments may be needed.
For more information, see the following.
- Temple University’s Withdrawal from Classes Policy
- Temple University Undergraduate Bulletin (Tuition and Fees Policy)
- Temple University's Student Financial Responsibility Agreement
Withdrawing from the University will cancel your financial aid for future semesters. If you wish to reenroll, please see the information on our website for the steps needed to receive aid in subsequent semesters.
Your student aid for the future academic year may be in jeopardy if you fall below the minimum completion percentage expectation for satisfactory academic progress, which affects eligibility for most student aid programs.
Your aid will be cancelled if Student Financial Services \receives information that you did not attend the semester.
Return of Federal Student Aid
You must be attending classes, taking exams, and completing required course work to remain eligible for Title IV Federal Student Aid during the semester.
Federal regulations require Student Financial Services to calculate a Return of Federal Student Aid (R2T4) funds for students who withdraw (officially, unofficially, or approved excused withdrawal) from all classes on or before the 60-percent attendance point in the semester, and for students who withdraw from any module-based courses.
If you officially withdraw from a semester, Student Financial Services must determine the date the withdrawal process began. If you do not provide official notification of you intent to withdraw, this date will be determined as the date Temple University became aware you were no longer attending class. For official withdrawal purposes, Temple uses the date the you provided official notification to withdraw as the withdrawal date; for unofficial withdrawals, the last date of academically-related activity as given by a professor is used.
The R2T4 calculation determines your earned and unearned Title IV aid based on the percentage of the enrollment period you attended. The percentage of the period that you remained enrolled is derived by dividing the number of days the you attended by the number of days in the academic period. Calendar days (including weekends) are used, but breaks of at least 5 days are excluded from both the numerator and denominator.
Until you have attended at least 60% point of an enrollment period, only a portion of the your aid is earned. You are considered to have earned your semester's financial aid if you attend 60% or more of the enrollment period.
Upon completion of the R2T4 calculation, the unearned portion of federal student aid funds will be returned to the appropriate aid program(s). The funds are returned in the following order:
- Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
- Federal Direct Subsidized Loan
- Federal Graduate PLUS Loan
- Federal PLUS Loan
- Federal Pell Grant
- Federal SEOG Grant
- Federal TEACH Grant
Students withdrawing from classes are responsible for payment of any balance due after the required return of federal student aid funds.
Earned aid is not related in any way to institutional charges. In addition, the University’s refund policy and return of Title IV funds procedures are independent of one another. You may be required to return unearned aid and still owe the University for that course if you withdraw from a full semester. For more information on Temple University’s withdrawal and institutional charges policies, please see here.
Students who stop attending all classes without officially withdrawing will be subject to a return of federal student aid funds at the end of the semester based on the last documented date of attendance as determined by Temple University.
The responsibility to repay unearned Title IV aid is shared by the University and the student. For example, the calculation may require Temple University to return a portion of federal funds to the federal Title IV programs. In addition, the student may also be required to return funds based on the calculation. A student returns funds to the Federal Direct Loan program based on the terms and conditions of the promissory note of the loan. A student who receives federal grants may be required to repay 50% of the funds received.
How to Handle a Grant Overpayment
Students who owe funds to a grant program are required to make payment of those funds within 45 days of being notified that they owe this overpayment. During the 45 day period you may remain eligible for Title IV funds, but if you do not take positive action within 45 days of being notified, then Temple University will notify the U.S. Department of Education of the your overpayment situation. You will no longer be eligible for Title IV funds until you enter into a satisfactory repayment agreement with the U.S. Department of Education.
During the 45-day period, you can make full payment to Temple University to cover the overpayment. The University will forward the payment to the U.S. Department of Education and the student will remain eligible for Title IV funds.
If you are unable to pay your overpayment in full, you can set up a repayment plan with the U.S. Department of Education. Before doing this please contact our office at 215-204-2244. You will need to make sure we have referred your situation to the U.S. Department of Education before any repayment plan can be set up.
If you want to contact the U.S. Department of Education, their address is listed below.
U.S. Department of Education
Student Financial Assistance Programs
P.O. Box 4222
Iowa City, IA 52245
Phone: 1-800-621-3115
E-Mail: [click-for-email]
For examples of the return of Title IV funds calculations or questions regarding the overpayment policy, please contact the Student Financial Services office.
Notification upon decision to withdrawal
When you withdrawal for the semester, the grace period prior to loan repayment will begin. If you reenroll before your grace period ends, you will have a new grace period when you leave school. If a student re-enrolls they need to request an in-school deferment.
Federal Direct Loan Recipients: Notify your federal loan servicer. You can obtain the contact information for your federal loan servicer on the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) website.
Complete the Loan Exit Interview
Students who withdraw from Temple University, even for just one semester, will be required to complete the "Exit Interview" online with the Bursar's Office to comply with university policy and federal regulations. Students who do not complete the “Exit Interview” may have registration and transcript holds placed on their academic records.
Withdrawing for Military Reasons
If you are a Temple University student serving on active duty in in the U.S. Armed Forces or a reservist who has been called to active duty for a purpose other than training, you are eligible for special provisions that protect your enrollment and financial aid eligibility for future semesters.
For more information, access, please see Temple University Policy for Students Called to Active Military Service (PDF).
Withdrawing Terminology
Drop: The term “drop” refers to an action taken by a student during the first two weeks of the fall, spring semester or summer sessions (applies to courses that meet the standard 16-week schedule) to remove a course from his/her transcript. A student is not financially responsible for dropped courses.
Unofficial Withdrawal: If you stop attending all of your classes without officially withdrawing (a.k.a. an unofficial withdrawal), then you are considered to be "walking-away." Federal aid you received during the semester will be subject to the Federal Title IV Return calculation based on the latest reported last date of attendance (LDA), as determined by your instructor(s).
Withdraw: The term “withdraw” refers to an action taken by a student to discontinue enrollment in a course after the drop period. The course is recorded on the transcript with the notation of "W." A student is financially responsible for courses from which they withdrew.
Withdrawal with Approved Excuse: The term “withdrawal with approved excuse” refers to an approved petition to withdraw from courses due to medical, catastrophic, or other circumstances beyond the student’s control. The semester is recorded on the transcript with the notation of “WE.” A student is financially responsible for courses from which they withdrew with an approved excuse.
Post-withdrawal Disbursement: Some aid programs may be available to you after you withdraw. In some cases, a portion of your Federal Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) and/or Federal Direct Loan(s) may be available.
Post-withdrawal Credit: A post-withdrawal disbursement will be applied to a student’s Temple University account first, and any resulting credit balance would be disbursed as soon as possible to the student and no later than 14 days after the calculation of return of Title IV financial aid funding.
If you were selected for federal verification, you will need to complete the process before we can determine your aid eligibility. If you withdrew before your verification is complete, then you will need to finish the process to be consideredf for a post-withdrawal disbursement of any aid funds. You may be required to confirm that you want to accept the disbursement.
If you are eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement, then you should know that those disbursements are time sensitivte. Grants will be disbursed within 45 days. Loans will be offered within 30 days, allowing a student at least 14 days to respond.