Administrative Regulation Title: Return to Title IV

Regulation Number: 5.1.2

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

Withdrawals:
Students who withdraw from Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) are subject to a Return to Title IV 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
  • Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant

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.

Last Date of Attendance
A student’s last date of attendance is reported to the Department of Education, loan servicers, and/or lenders, and subsequent loan disbursements may be canceled. The last date of attendance is defined as follows:

  • For students who unofficially withdraw by ceasing attendance, faculty are required to provide a last date of documented educational activity when reporting the failing grade. These dates are used to determine the Last Date of Attendance.
  • For students who officially withdraw from the College by completing the College Withdrawal form, the Last Date of Attendance. will be identified as the date the student submitted their completed form. As a non-attendance-taking institution, it is not required that the Financial Aid Office obtain attendance documentation from faculty and will, therefore, use the date that the College became aware of the student’s intent to withdraw – the day the form is submitted. Please note: EWC does not have a formal Leave of Absence policy.

 

R2T4 Calculation
Prior to performing the R2T4 calculation, the last date of attendance last date of attendance 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 last date of attendance.

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 Return to Title VI calculation.

When an official or unofficial withdrawal results in a chargeback or post withdrawal disbursement Post Withdrawal Disbursement 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 or Post Withdrawal Disbursement, 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 Post Withdrawal Disbursement (ineligibility at another school for the award, reduction of Lifetime Eligibility Used, reduction of aggregate loan limit, etc.)

The EWC Business Office is also provided with a copy of the withdrawal letter and the calculation for their records.

Timely Reporting to Common Origin and Disbursement System, Clearinghouse, and NSLDS for Unofficial Withdrawals

a. Official Withdrawals

If the Return to Title IV 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

Unofficial withdrawals cannot be determined until the semester ends, and final grades are validated.

The Office of Institutional Research will maintain a National Clearinghouse reporting calendar.

For National Clearinghouse 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 maintains clearly defined refund procedures for tuition, fees, room, and board, while the college-wide process governs tuition and fees. Students can refer to the college catalog for more details on the refund policies.

EWC is not required to take attendance but requires all faculty to confirm that students began attendance through a roster certification process. The last date of attendance used in unofficial withdrawals will be determined by faculty who identify the date of the last academically related activity. Official withdrawals do not utilize dates of attendance.

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
Original Adoption Date: 10/21/24
Revision Date(s): 03/23/2026
Date Reviewed, no change: