Administrative Regulation Title: Return to Title IV

Regulation Number:  5.1.2

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EWC will follow the Department of Education’s process for Return of Title IV Aid.

Definitions:        R2T4 – Return to Title IV
LDA – Last Day of Attendance

LEU – Lifetime Eligibility Used
ROFC – Calculate Return of Funds
PWD – Post Withdrawal Disbursement

 

Students who withdraw from Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) are subject to a R2T4 calculation when they withdraw (officially or unofficially) from all courses during an award period. The calculation may result in Title IV aid being charged or a post withdrawal disbursement. Programs affected by this policy include but may not be limited to:

 

  • Direct Unsubsidized Loans
  • Direct Subsidized Loans
  • Direct Parent Loans (PLUS)
  • Federal Pell Grants
  • Iraq, Afghanistan Service Grant
  • Federal SEOG

 

Title IV aid is earned on a per day basis up to the 60% point of each semester. All Title IV aid is subject to a return of funds up to the 60% point. After that point, all aid is considered “earned.” Title IV aid is returned in the order listed above.

 

 

Procedure

a. Official withdrawal from EWC:

Official withdrawals are students who have submitted a Drop/Withdrawal form, otherwise notified the Registrar via email that they wish to be withdrawn from a course(s) or been administratively withdrawn due to exceeding the number of allowable absences. The Registrar notifies the Financial Aid Director when a student withdraws from a course or courses. Additionally, the RGER (Enrollment Activity Report) is also reviewed at least weekly to determine if a student has withdrawn from a course or courses. In both cases, the requirement to complete an R2T4 calculation is determined.

 

b. Student unofficial withdrawal from EWC:

Unofficial withdrawals are students who did not earn any credit for the term.  These students are identified at the end of the term using the Final Grade Report (FGRP). This report must be run by the 30th day after the end of the term and is the Date of Determination.

 

R2T4 Calculation in Colleague

Prior to performing the R2T4 calculation, the last date of attendance (LDA) must be determined. The latest date of attendance (required for F, X, and U grades) OR, in the case of a W grade, withdrawal date is used as the LDA. The R2T4 calculation uses that date in the ROFC (Calculate Return of Funds) screen in Colleague, accessible from AIDE.

 

Any Title IV aid that has not disbursed AND could not have been disbursed prior to the student’s withdrawal must be zeroed prior to the R2T4 calculation in ROFC.

 

When an official or unofficial withdrawal results in a chargeback or post withdrawal disbursement (PWD) of Title IV aid, the student is notified by postal mail that the calculation has been performed, the withdrawal date determined, the amount of the return/PWD, and the current student balance. Students with Federal Direct Student Loans are notified to complete the Exit Loan Counseling and the link is provided. This notification is sent within 30 days of the Date of Determination. In the case of a post withdrawal disbursement, the impacted awards are updated with a P (pending) action status to prevent the award from transmitting to the student’s account unless/until confirmation is received from the student. Students are cautioned regarding the impact of accepting the PWD (ineligibility at another school for the award, reduction of LEU, reduction of aggregate loan limit, etc.)

 

Financial Services is also provided with a copy of the withdrawal letter and the calculation for their records.

 

Timely Reporting to COD, Clearinghouse, and NSLDS for Unofficial Withdrawals

c. Official Withdrawals

If the R2T4 calculation results in a chargeback of Title IV aid, the school must return the funds within 30 days of the date of determination.

 

EWC must notify the student/parent of eligibility for post withdrawal disbursement within 30 days of the date of determination. If student/parent permission is received within 14 days of notification, grants must be credited to the student account within 45 days of the date of determination, loans must be credited within 180 days.

 

EWC must also report the student’s enrollment level to the Clearinghouse with the next monthly enrollment reporting.

 

b. Unofficial Withdrawals

As unofficial withdrawals cannot be determined until the semester ends.  The Registrar will maintain an NSLDS reporting calendar.

 

*For NSLDS to accurately capture the enrollment information, updated enrollment status must be received by the Clearinghouse at least two weeks prior to the submission of the initial term enrollment roster. This ensures that communication between the Clearinghouse and NSLDS is completed timely.

 

EWC has a clearly defined procedures for student refunds for educational costs such as tuition and fees, room and board when an official withdrawal is completed for the college-wide refund process for tuition and fees and refer to the Residence Halls Handbook for refund tables for housing and meal plans. This policy refers only to the federal policy of returning funds for students who require a Return to Title IV calculation to be performed.

 

Community College does not require attendance to be taken.  The date of withdrawal is determined by the date provided of the last Academic Related Activity.

 

Under some circumstances, attendance may be taken as required by:

  • An outside entity (i.e., accreditor, state) for a particular student or cohort of students; or
  • The college or an outside entity has a requirement that can only be met by taking attendance or a comparable process to demonstrate attendance in courses of that program or portion of that program.

 

Special Circumstances:

EWC will use the date the college was notified that the student could no longer attend (i.e., hospitalization, death, incarceration, etc.) when a student is unable to complete the process of an official withdrawal due to extenuating circumstances.

 

Leave of Absence:

EWC does not grant any leaves of absence.

 

Questions about the Return to Title IV calculations may be directed to the Financial Aid Office at 307-532-8325.

 

References:        Board Policy 5.1 – Financial Aid and Scholarships

United States Department of Education – Financial Student Aid Handbook (USDOE)

 

Original Adoption Date: 10/21/24

Revision Date(s):

Date Reviewed, no change: