Withdrawal Policy

Withdrawal/Leave of Absence Process

Students wishing to withdraw or request a leave of absence from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth are required to submit the student leave of absence or voluntary withdrawal request. The Student Leave of Absence/Withdrawal Form is found on the Registrar's Office website. Detailed information on the leave of absence/withdrawal process is found at https://www.umassd.edu/registrar/leave-of-absence---voluntary-withdrawal/

The date the request is submitted will be entered in the university's student information system as the official leave of absence/voluntary withdrawal effective date. If the student is requesting a leave of absence/voluntary withdrawal effective after the current semester’s completion, it will be processed after final grades have been posted for that semester.  The effective date will be provided to appropriate campus departments for appropriate billing, refund, and financial aid adjustments. It is imperative that the student submits the online Leave of Absence/Voluntary Withdrawal Request Form as soon as they have made the decision to stop attending/participating in their courses.  The leave of absence/voluntary withdrawal effective date cannot be changed once it has been recorded in the university’s student information system.

Withdrawal Policy

UMass Dartmouth adheres to federal, state and university regulations regarding financial aid funds disbursed for a student who completely withdraws from a semester. Return of funds policies are fair and equitable and applied uniformly.

Federal Aid (Title IV)

UMass Dartmouth will use the forms and software developed by the U.S. Department of Education in determining the refund due to Title IV and in determining any repayment due from the student.

State and University Aid (Non-Title IV)

UMass Dartmouth will calculate return of non-Title IV funds in accordance with the appropriate state and university refund policy.

• Massachusetts state funds are calculated based on the Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance (MOSFA) Massachusetts State Financial Aid Programs Refund Policy. Categorical tuition waivers will be retained up to the amount of actual tuition charged per university refund policy.
• University funds will be returned on a case-by-case basis following financial aid administrator review.

Policy Guidelines

The Return of Title IV Funds regulations require the university to determine the earned and unearned portions of Title IV aid as of the date the student ceased attendance based on the amount of time the student spent in attendance. Up through the 60% point in the semester, a pro rata schedule is used to determine the amount of Title IV funds the student has earned at the time of withdrawal. After the 60% point in the semester, a student has earned 100% of the Title IV funds he or she was scheduled to receive during the period.

The Return of Title IV funds will be calculated in the following order:

• Direct Unsubsidized Loan
• Direct Subsidized Loan
• Perkins Loan
• PLUS Loan/Federal Graduate PLUS Loan
• Pell Grant
• Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
• TEACH Grant
• Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
• Other Title IV assistance

The student may be entitled to a post-withdrawal disbursement of federal financial aid if the return of funds calculation indicates that the student earned more aid than the amount that was disbursed prior to withdrawal. Post-withdrawal disbursements will be credited first toward unpaid institutional charges. Any portion of a post-withdrawal disbursement that exceeds unpaid institutional charges will be offered as a disbursement to the student. Students must accept this disbursement within 14 days of the offer. If a response is not received, or if the offer is declined, these excess funds will be returned to the appropriate Title IV program.

UMass Dartmouth will return its share of unearned Title IV funds no later than 45 days after determination of withdrawal.

A revised financial aid award letter will be mailed to the student if the award is adjusted.

Student will be responsible for any remaining balance on their student account.

Note: The information contained in this section is subject to change, without notice, in order to comply with federal, state, or university requirements.