Understand how withdrawing from courses can affect your eligibility
Always check with the NIC Financial Aid Office before withdrawing from a course on MyNIC
There are minimum requirements that you must meet in order to stay eligible for financial aid. Please review our Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy and our Return to Title IV Policy before withdrawing to avoid owing money or becoming ineligible for future semesters.
Please note before using the calculator
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is evaluated on a semester by semester basis. At the end each semester, the NIC Financial Aid Office will evaluate your SAP based on cumulative (total attempted and completed) credits.
The North Idaho College Financial Aid Office Federal Return of Title IV Funds Policy mandates that students receiving federal aid who officially or unofficially withdraw and/or completes with non-passing grades (F, U, W, I, IW, NR, NG) from all classes may only keep the financial aid they have "earned" up to the time of withdrawal. All withdraws and non-passing grades may also affect your Satisfactory Academic Progress for future semesters.
Financial aid that is determined to be unearned must be repaid. Additionally, aid earned but not yet disbursed will be made available. It is also important to note that all State Aid and/or Scholarships have their own terms and may differ from Federal Regulations. View the following links for more information regarding the Return to Title IV Funds Policy:
- Calculating Earned Financial Aid
Read how dropping with a grade of 'W' (withdrawing) or receiving F's or all non-passing grades can affect your financial aid
Dropping with a grade of 'W' or withdrawing and/or receiving F's or non-passing grades from the college may have both academic and financial aid consequences. You are encouraged to understand the consequences before you decide to withdraw and/or receive F's (or other non-passing grades). Detailed information about the cancellation of registration and withdrawal from the college is available in the policies and regulations applying to all students. If you decide to withdraw, you must follow established withdrawal policies posted by the Registrar's Office. (Note: If you intend to stop attending all courses after the withdrawal deadline, notify the Financial Aid Office of intent to withdraw).
Read how dropping with a grade of 'W' or withdrawing and/or receiving F's (or non-passing grades) can affect your financial aid
If you complete 60% or less of the term prior to withdrawing, you may be required to repay a substantial portion of your federal financial aid.
All federal aid recipients must successfully complete at least 66.67% of cumulative attempted hours to remain eligible for financial aid under the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements. Withdrawing and/or receiving F's (or a combination of all non-passing grades) from classes will affect your percentage of hours earned. For additional information, please review the SAP Policy (Note: Non-passing grades include F, U, I, W, IW, NR, and NG).
Read how unofficial withdrawals or receiving F's or all non-passing grades can affect your financial aid
If you stop attending all classes during a semester or receive all F's or a combination of withdrawals (W) and F's (or U, I, IW, NR, and/or NG) and do not go through the college’s withdrawal process, you are treated as an “unofficial withdrawal”.
At the end of each semester, the NIC Financial Aid Office identifies all students who did not pass at least one class. Our office will work with departments and instructors to document your last date of attendance. Using this information, you will be reviewed under the Return of Title IV Funds calculation. (Note: If you intend to stop attending all courses after the withdrawal deadline please notify the Financial Aid Office).
Read how reducing your hours of enrollment can affect your financial aid
Financial aid is awarded with the assumption that a student will enroll full-time. If you enroll in and are billed for less than full-time (i.e. less than 12 credit hours. An adjustment may be required to your awarded aid).
Enrollment status is established after the 100% refund period. If you add classes after the 100% refund period, your bill may be increased. If you drop classes after the 100% refund period, your bill will not be adjusted unless you registered for late start classes.
There are some exceptions to these general rules for students who are enrolled in courses that only meet for part of the semester (such as eight-week courses) that start after the 100% refund period.
Read how the Federal Pell Grant is affected
You must be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours each semester to receive the full-time amount of Pell Grant. If you are billed for fewer than 12 credit hours before the 100% refund date, the Pell Grant amount will be reduced according to the number of credit hours you are registered.
If you never attend a course, an adjustment is made to your enrollment status at the end of the term and your Pell Grant is reduced appropriately. After the 100% refund date and disbursement, if you add a course there is no change to the Pell Grant award.
Read how the Financial Aid Office calculates earned financial aid
The amount of earned financial aid is calculated on a daily basis from the first day of classes. The process uses calendar days rather than school days.
Earned aid is determined by taking the number of days attended before withdrawing divided by the total number of days in the term (first day of classes until the last day of finals, excluding spring break).
For a student who attends their classes and withdraws after the 60% point of the term, there are no unearned funds. The calculation of the Return of Title IV aid only applies to students who withdraw prior to the 60% point of the term.
If a student enrolls in late start courses solely the term start and end dates are based on the earliest start date and the last end date among the courses. If the student satisfactorily completes at least one course, there is no Return of Title IV Fund calculation. If the student stops attending the first course (or the course with the earliest end date) and is not presently attending other courses, a Return of Title IV funds must be completed, unless the student confirms his/her intention to return later in the term to take another course.
If the student has all non-passing grades at the end of the term, the Return of Title IV Fund calculation will be based on the most recent date of attendance.
The Financial Aid Office uses Federal procedures to determine the amount of aid that must be returned by the school and/or the student to Title IV programs. After this determination is made we will contact students via Cardinal Mail and postal mail. The procedure is as follows:
- Determine appropriate withdrawal date
- Determine Amount of Earned Title IV Aid
- Determine Amount of Unearned Title IV Aid
- Determine Title IV Aid to be Disbursed
- Determine Title IV Aid Disbursed
- Determine Title IV Aid to be Returned
- Calculate the College’s Responsibility
- Determine Amount College Returns to federal aid program
- Determine Student’s Responsibility
- Determine Amount Student Returns to federal aid program
Financial aid that is determined to be "unearned" is reduced in the following priority:
- Federal Stafford Unsubsidized Loan
- Federal Stafford Subsidized Loan
- Federal Parent PLUS Loan
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
- Federal Pell Grant
Calculations are done on a case-by-case basis after the withdrawal date is confirmed.