Withdrawal or Leave of Absence Registration Restriction
If a student has an unpaid balance, the Student Accounts Office will place a restriction on student records that will not allow them to register for future semesters.
- If a current student has an outstanding balance and is not on a payment plan with all payments current, we will put a hold on registering for future semesters until the balance is satisfied.
- All payment plan payments must be current to remain on the payment plan through registration.
- We will send out email notifications of these restrictions prior to registration. The student can check Self Service to see the current status of their registration restrictions.
Registration and Financial Liability
When you register, it is understood that you will pay in full all charges assumed at registration. Niagara University assumes that if you are registered for a course, you are attending and fully participating, or you will drop it. It is your responsibility to withdraw from any classes you are not attending. Failure to attend classes does not alter the charges or entitle you to a tuition refund. You will not be permitted to register for future semesters or receive your diploma unless your student account is paid in full. Should you decide to change your schedule in any way or stop attending, you need to fully understand your responsibilities as well as the financial liability that you may incur as a result.
**Before you make any changes to your schedule (add, drop) or decide to stop attending class(es), you must meet with the Financial Aid and Student Accounts departments to fully understand what financial liability may occur as a result.**
The withdrawal date will be the date the withdrawal notice is received by the Records Office and processed. Students will not be permitted to register for future semesters or receive their diploma unless the student account is paid in full.
As always, the university reserves the right to modify methods of instruction by, for example, converting in-person courses to online only as necessary, in the university’s sole discretion, to protect the health and safety of the NU community, without refund or off-set of any tuition or fees paid.
Committee on Refunds
An appeal for an additional partial refund of tuition and fees may be made to the Committee on Refunds, provided that continued attendance and/or residence by the student is made impossible by reasons of serious illness (supported by a doctor’s certificate) or other emergencies which, in the opinion of the committee, are clearly beyond the control of the student.
An application for a refund may be filed in person or by mail in the Student Records and Financial Services Office and must be made in writing on the form provided for that purpose. If the student is prevented by illness or distance from obtaining the regular form of such application, he or she should address a letter to the Records Office indicating the courses to be dropped and carefully explaining their reasons, together with supporting certifications.
Official Withdrawal
A student officially withdraws from the university when he or she completes the appropriate forms and follows the procedures outlined in the catalog. A resident student must also withdraw from university housing. The following tables will be used to determine refunds for tuition:
Withdrawing from an accelerated class that runs less than 84 days (1 to 11 weeks):
| Days Used | Refund | Liability |
|---|---|---|
| 0-7 | 100% | 0% |
| 8-14 | 40% | 60% |
| 15 or more | 0% | 100% |
Withdrawing from a class that runs 85 days or more (12 weeks or more):
| Days Used | Refund | Liability |
|---|---|---|
| 0-7 | 100% | 0% |
| 8-14 | 80% | 20% |
| 15-21 | 60% | 40% |
| 22-28 | 40% | 60% |
| 29-35 | 20% | 80% |
| 36 or more | 0% | 100% |
Financial Aid Refund Policy
If a refund is due a student under the Niagara University refund policy and the student has received any financial aid other than Federal Work Study, part of the refund must be returned to the sponsoring aid programs. The amount of refund is determined by the Student Accounts Office in accordance with the preceding Niagara University refund policy listed in this catalog. The Financial Aid and Student Accounts Offices complete the Return of Title IV refund calculations in collaboration. Students are identified using the withdrawal report provide by the Records Office. Policies for returning a portion of that refund to sponsoring aid programs are as follows:
Niagara University Grants and Scholarships
The student’s account will be credited with a prorated grant/scholarship. The percentage used in proration will be the same as the percentage of revised tuition liability; i.e., a student eligible for a refund equivalent to 60 percent of tuition charges has incurred a 40 percent liability. The student’s account will be credited with 40 percent of the semester grant/scholarship award.
Private Grants and Scholarships
The Student Accounts Office contacts the outside organization to determine the student’s eligibility.
Federal Programs (Title IV)
Regulations require each educational institution to have a written policy for the refund and repayment of federal aid received by students who officially withdraw during a term for which payment has been received. These policies are effective only if a student completely terminates enrollment or stops attending classes before completing more than 60 percent of the enrollment period.
Federal aid is earned in a prorated manner on a per diem basis based on the academic calendar up to the Federal 60 percent point in the semester. Federal aid and all other aid is viewed as 100 percent earned after that point in time. A copy of the worksheet used for this calculation can be requested from the Financial Aid Office. After the dollar amount to be refunded to the federal programs has been determined, the refund is applied to the accounts in the following sequence:
- Unsubsidized Federal Direct Student Loan
- Subsidized Federal Direct Student Loan and Federal Nursing Loan
- Direct PLUS Loan
- Federal Pell Grant
- Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
- TEACH Grant
- Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
An official withdrawal is required, and a student’s failure to complete the appropriate forms as outlined in the chapter on general academic information may result in a smaller refund, or no refund.
The official withdrawal date is determined using the following criteria:
- Date student began Niagara’s withdrawal process or date student otherwise provided official notice
- Date related to circumstance beyond student’s control
Federal Program Repayment Policy
The amount of Title IV aid that a student must repay is determined via the Federal Formula for Return of Title IV funds as specified in Section 484B of the Higher Education Act. This law also specifies the order of the return of the Title IV funds to the programs from which they were awarded which is listed above.
A repayment may be required when cash has been disbursed to a student from financial aid funds in excess of the amount of aid a student earned during the term. The amount of Title IV aid is earned by multiplying the total Title IV aid (excluding Federal Work Study) for which the student qualified by the percentage of time during the term that the student was enrolled.
If less aid was paid than earned, the student may receive a late disbursement for the difference. If more aid was disbursed than was earned, the amount of Title IV aid that must be returned is determined by subtracting the amount earned from the amount actually disbursed.
The responsibility for returning unearned aid is allocated between the university and the student according to the portion of disbursed aid that could have been used to cover university charges and the portion that could have been disbursed directly to the student once university charges were covered. Niagara University will distribute the unearned portion of the disbursed aid that could have been used to cover university charges and the portion that could have been disbursed directly to the student once university charges were covered. Niagara University will distribute the unearned aid back to the Title IV programs as specified by law. The student will be billed for the amount the student owes to the Title IV programs and any amount due to the university resulting from the return of Title IV funds used to cover university charges.
State Scholarships
Refunding proration is done according to specific regulations of the sponsoring state.