Withdrawing and Your Financial Aid

Other Considerations: International Students, Loans, Cal Grants, Work-Study, Graduate Fellowships

Students sometimes find that they need to withdraw from school. This may be due to illness, family emergency, or just the need to take a break from school. If you leave school after the term begins this is considered a withdrawal. (If you cancel your registration for a term before the term begins, you are not eligible to receive any financial aid for that term.) Whatever the reason, if you are considering withdrawal, you must first discuss your decision with a student academic advisor in your college or department. They can direct you to resources that are available, such as health services, tutoring, or counseling, and guide you through the withdrawal process.
Financial Aid Recipients who withdraw may no longer be eligible for all of the financial aid they have received. If you are a financial aid recipient and withdraw you should expect to pay back part of your financial aid. Your CARS account will be billed for this amount.
IF YOU WITHDRAW AND YOUR LAST DAY OF ATTENDANCE IN CLASS(ES) IS AFTER THE 60% POINT OF THE SEMESTER (DATE Fall: November 4, 2007; Spring: April 7, 2008) YOU WILL KEEP ALL OF YOUR FINANCIAL AID.
If you are an UNDERGRADUATE student, you must see an advisor at your college or school, (for example, Letters & Science), for approval of your withdrawal. If you are a GRADUATE student, you must go to the graduate office of your department for approval of your withdrawal. You cannot withdraw from school by notifying a Financial Aid Counselor, though you are encouraged to see a counselor if you wish to discuss the impact of withdrawing on your financial aid. If you are withdrawing for medical reasons, in addition to your advisor at your college or school, you must contact the University Health Service or call 642-2074.

Once you file your petition for withdrawal, you will have 10 days to rescind your decision before your CARS account is affected. You may, however, request immediate processing of your withdrawal. If you withdraw before all your aid has paid, you may be eligible for disbursement of some additional aid. The Financial Aid Office will notify you if you are eligible for an additional disbursement.
IMPORTANT WARNING: Your semesters of financial aid eligibility are limited. When you withdraw you use up one semester of eligibility!

  Undergraduate PH. D. M.A. LAW Optometry
Semesters of Eligibility 10 if entering as a freshman; 6 if entering as a junior 18 6 8 10

DO NOT LEAVE SCHOOL WITHOUT OFFICIALLY WITHDRAWING

If you stop attending your classes and do not withdraw, your grades will remain on your academic record. In addition, if you "walk away" and do not pass any of your classes, your financial aid will be reduced as if you had left halfway through the term, even though your grades will remain. You must withdraw officially from the University to avoid this situation.
EFFECT OF WITHDRAWING ON YOUR CARS ACCOUNT
When you withdraw from school, your CARS account may be adjusted in two ways:
1. You may receive a partial refund of your fees
2. You may need to pay back financial aid that you have already received.
FEE REFUNDS FROM UC BERKELEY
The Office of the Registrar may adjust your fees based on the date you withdraw and credit the reduction to your CARS account. See the Registrar's web site for the dates and corresponding fee reductions.
NOTE: All refunds are subject to review by the University -- any outstanding debts will be withheld from the refund.

FINANCIAL AID PAID BACK BY STUDENT
Some of the financial aid paid to you directly will most likely need to be returned to the school. This amount, calculated in accordance with federal regulations, is the amount you received for the days you did not attend school -- the remaining days in the semester after your withdrawal. Your withdrawal date is determined by your last date of class attendance.
UC Berkeley uses the Federal Formula required for Title IV aid recipients (Pell Grants, ACG, National SMART, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Direct Loans, Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students, Perkins Loans) to determine the amount of all forms of aid a student must return including Cal Grants and Scholarships.
The percentage of aid to be repaid (excluding books and insurance fees) is based on the percentage of the total days in the semester that are remaining after your last date of attendance. For instance, if you received $2000 in financial aid and withdraw when the semester is exactly 50% over, you will need to repay $1000.
However, only 50% of grant aid in excess of your fees is repayable, and loans in excess of your fees are not charged to CARS, but are repayable under the original terms of the loan. You are encouraged to see a Financial Aid Counselor to get an estimate of the amount of aid you will be expected to repay.

Your Cal Grant award cannot be higher than the actual Education & Registration fees you were charged.
EXAMPLE
Suppose you are a continuing student and your fees are $3,900 and you receive loans for $3000 and grants for $6000. If you withdraw and your last day of attending classes is at the 50% point (10/23/06 for Fall 2006) of the semester:

  • .You will have earned 50% of your aid or $4,500, the unearned portion of your aid is also 50% or $4,500.
  • 50% of your originally charged fees is $1,950 and this much of your net loans ( $1,980 gross) will be reduced.
  • The rest of your loans or $1,020 will go into repayment. You should complete an online Loan Exit Counseling Session.
  • This totals $3,000, so there is still $1,500 of unearned aid remaining($4,500-$3,000).
  • BUT, $1,500 is less than 50% of your original grants (50% of $6,000 = $3000) so you will not have to repay this $1,500.
  • You will therefore owe a total of $1,980 (the loans from above) which you will repay to UC Berkeley.

RETURNING TO BERKELEY
If you wish to enroll for a future term, you must file an APPLICATION FOR READMISSION by the appropriate deadline. Readmission forms for Undergraduate students are available at the college Dean’s Offices, at the Office of Undergraduate Admission, 103 Sproul Hall or online.
Readmission forms for graduate students are available at the Graduate Division 302 Sproul Hall or online on the Registrar's forms page.
Be sure to meet the FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION of March 2 deadline for the academic year you plan to return.