Refund Policy & Requirements for Withdrawal

In order to comply with federal regulations, McPherson College maintains a fair and equitable refund policy for students that withdrawal from enrolled courses prior to finishing an entire term.

Withdrawal from a course
Students that withdraw from a particular course, but not from all enrolled courses may be eligible for an adjustment of charges based on when the course was dropped.

1. Students that withdraw from a course within the first two weeks of the term receive a 100% refund for the cost of that course.   The course is removed from their enrollment and transcript.   Financial aid will be adjusted accordingly if the course withdrawal has caused a change in the student’s full time/part time status.
2. Students that withdrawal from a course after the first two weeks are given the non punitive grade of W, charged a $50 withdrawal fee, and receive no refund for the cost of the course. Financial aid that has posted prior to the course withdrawal will not be adjusted; however, financial aid that has not posted to the student’s account prior to the course withdrawal may need to be adjusted if the withdrawal causes a change in the student’s full time/part time status.

Withdrawal from all courses
Students that cease attendance in all courses in a particular term, for any reason, are considered to have either officially or unofficially withdrawn from McPherson College.

1. An Official withdrawal occurs when a student provided written notice or completes an exit form. The Last Day of Attendance (LDA) will be the date the form or written documentation is received.
2. An Unofficial withdrawal occurs when a student ceases to attend classes and does not provide written notice or complete an exit form. The Last Date of Attendance (LDA) may be determined by finding the last day of an academically related activity or by using the 50% point of the term.

Withdrawn students are subject to the refund policies as mandated by the Department of Education and McPherson College. Included in the refund process are the institutional and federal refund policies.

Students that withdrawal on or after the first day of a term may be eligible for a refund (proration) of qualified institutional charges and non-federal financial aid. Qualified charges would include tuition, fees, room and board.   Charges that are not included in a refund include, but are not limited to, books, fines, and insurance premiums.   Non federal aid would include aid from the institution, state, and outside resources. McPherson College determines the percentage of adjustment by calculating earned and unearned percentages using the following method:

All calendar days from the beginning of the term to the Last Day of Attendance (LDA) are divided by the total number of calendar days in the term to determine the percentage of adjustment.   Scheduled breaks of five calendar days or more and temporary break days are excluded.

1. If the withdrawal occurs within the first 60% of the term, a pro rata adjustment will be made to the student’s account.   Qualified charges and non federal aid will be adjusted individually. Earned amounts will remain posted and unearned amounts will be returned to the issuing authority.   If an outside agency allows, a larger percentage of the entire award may remain posted to pay adjusted charges.
2. If the withdrawal occurs after the first 60% of the term, no adjustment or refund is due.

In addition to the institutional refund calculation recipients, and in some cases intended recipients, of federal Title IV financial aid (with the exception of Federal Work Study), will be subject to the refund policies as mandated by the United States Department of Education.   McPherson College must calculate earned and unearned federal aid using the same method as described under the institutional refund policy.

1. If the withdrawal occurs within the first 60% of the term, a pro rata adjustment will be made to the student’s account.   The resulting percentages are applied to the total of Title IV aid that was disbursed and could have been disbursed. Any unearned amount must be returned to the appropriate program source in the following order until the unearned amount is satisfied:
   1) Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans, 2) Subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans, 3) Federal Perkins Loans, 4) Federal Direct PLUS loans, 5) Federal Pell Grants, 6) Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, 7) Federal TEACH grants, 8) Iraq/Afghanistan Service Grants
2. If the withdrawal occurs after the first 60% of the term, no adjustment or refund of federal Title IV financial aid is due

1. Students that desire or need to withdraw from the institution are encouraged to officially withdraw. Students may start the official withdrawal process with the Vice President for Enrollment.
2. The financial aid office receives withdrawal notification. If the withdrawal is unofficial, attempts will be made to determine when the student last had an academically related activity.
3. The financial aid office completes the institutional and federal refund calculation within 30 days.
4. The institution posts any required adjustments on the students account and returns any unearned funds back to the issuing authority within 45 days.
5. The financial aid office sends exit counseling information to the students that have federal loans.
6. The business office sends any final billing to the student.
7. The academic office will facilitate enrollment reporting so that lenders of student borrowers may begin the grace period and repayment procedures.