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Students must notify the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) to withdraw from all courses (cease enrollment). Students should review this section and meet with Student Financial Services (SFS) to determine how ceasing will impact their financial aid and accounts. All students are subject to the policies below no matter their reason for ceasing enrollment. Medical leaves are not exempt from these policies.
Students who withdraw after drop/add but before the semester ends will receive a grade of W. Those who withdraw from the university and do not return within one academic year must apply for readmission.
Students who withdraw from all courses may receive a prorated tuition refund, as outlined in the Tuition Refund Chart. Fees are non-refundable after the drop/add period (usually the eighth day of the semester).
For students who officially withdraw, the cease date for the calculation is the date the student notified the Office of Academic Affairs.
For students who unofficially withdraw by failing to complete any full-semester or Mini 2, 4, or 6 courses, the cease date is the last date of academic engagement determined by the Registrar. If undetermined, the semester's mid-point will be used.
Tuition and Fees Refund Policy
| Period of Withdrawal During Semester | Percentage of Tuition Refund |
|---|---|
| On or before the last day to drop/add each term (Up to and including calendar day 8) | 100% Including fees |
| Calendar days 9 - 15 | 80% Not Including fees |
| Calendar days 16 - 22 | 70% Not including fees |
| Calendar days 23 - 29 | 60% Not including fees |
| Calendar days 30 and beyond | 0% Not including fees |
Room and meal plan refunds are prorated based on usage between the 1st and 29th days of the semester. Students who never moved into campus housing are eligible for a 100% refund if they withdraw by day 8. No refunds are given after the 29th day. The summer session follows the same tuition refund schedule.
Treatment of Financial Aid for Total Withdrawal (Cease Enrollment)
When students withdraw from all courses or are dismissed prior to completing 60% of the payment period or semester, SFS is required to review their financial aid to determine if adjustments are needed per federal, state, and institutional policies.
Federal (Title IV) Financial Aid Refund Policy (Cease Enrollment)
Students who withdraw before completing 60% of a semester can only keep the portion of federal aid earned during their time enrolled. The amount of aid to be returned is based on how long the student attended. This policy is required by federal law and is separate from Mercyhurst’s refund policy for tuition, housing, and meals.
Each academic program and semester has different schedules. If a student withdraws after the 60% point, no aid needs to be returned. However, the school must still calculate if the student qualifies for a post-withdrawal disbursement.
The calculation is based on the percentage of earned aid using the following Federal Return of Title IV funds formula:
Percentage of payment period or semester completed is the number of days completed up to the withdrawal date, divided by the total days in the payment period or semester. (Any break of five days or more is not counted as part of days in the semester.) This percentage is also the percentage of earned aid.
Funds are returned to the appropriate federal program based on the percentage of unearned aid using the following formula:
Aid to be returned (100% of the aid that could be disbursed minus the percentage of earned aid) is multiplied by the total amount of aid that could have been disbursed during the payment period or semester.
If a student earned less aid than was disbursed, Mercyhurst would be required to return a portion of the funds, and the student would be required to return a portion of the funds. When Title IV funds are returned, the student borrower may owe a balance to Mercyhurst, which must be paid within 30 days of notification.
If students earn more aid than was disbursed to them, Mercyhurst might owe the student a post-withdrawal disbursement, which must be paid within 120 days of the student’s withdrawal. Mercyhurst must return the amount of Title IV funds for which it is responsible no later than 45 days after the date of the determination of the student’s withdrawal.
Refunds to aid programs are returned in the following order:
Institutional and State Grant/Scholarship Financial Aid Refund Policy (Cease Enrollment)
State and institutional grants or scholarships follow the university’s tuition refund policy. For example, if a student gets a 70% tuition refund, their grants or scholarships will be refunded at 70%, leaving them with 30% of their original award.
Students may contact Student Financial Services if they wish to forfeit their reduced PA State Grant to preserve their eligibility for future semesters. By forfeiting the grant, Mercyhurst can return the full amount to the state, preserving the student's State Grant eligibility by avoiding potential academic progress issues.
For example, if a student withdraws from the university during the second week of classes, the student will get an 80% tuition refund, and, following PHEAA regulations, 80% of the State Grant will have to be refunded to the state. If the PA State Grant is $1,000, $800 would be returned to the state, and the student would be able to retain $200 to pay for any educational charges for the two weeks in attendance. In this instance, it is strongly recommended that the entire $1,000 be sent back to the state so the student can receive a PA State Grant for a future semester and not have this semester of attendance count against the student when calculating satisfactory academic progress for PHEAA State Student Aid Programs.
Course Withdrawal Policy
Students who wish to withdraw from a course after the drop/add period for a semester must complete a Class Schedule Form, which is available on the Registrar's Office Hub page. After the student obtains the signature of their advisor or a member of the Academic Support Team, the form is emailed to registrar@mercyhurst.edu for processing.Course withdrawals after add/drop will result in a W grade for the course and will not impact tuition charges or most financial aid for that semester because they are based on the enrollment status on the census date, which is usually the morning after the last day of add/drop published in the Academic Calendar. Students should always consult with Student Financial Services prior to withdrawing from any course to determine impacts on financial aid and billing.
Students registered for Mini 2, Mini 4, or Mini 6 courses will have a secondary census date after the add/drop period for those modules. If changes to enrollment result in a student being less than full time for the semester, aid for the entire semester will be recalculated and rebilled (only for Mini 2, 4, or 6 changes). If there is an increase related to Mini 2, 4, or 6 sessions, the student will be rebilled for any credit overloads or tuition increases.
Withdrawing from courses might prevent a student from making satisfactory academic progress, which may impact eligibility for future financial aid assistance. Refer to the Satisfactory Academic Progress section for details. Whether a student chooses to withdraw from one course or withdraw from the university completely, it is important that the student contact Student Financial Services for advice regarding financial aid and billing. The student should also consult the Office of Academic Affairs to ensure they will meet the minimum criteria for Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (both pace and GPA).
Refund Policy In The Event Of University-Wide Residential Disruption
If the university were compelled to cease residential operations during a semester due to circumstances beyond its control (e.g., public health mandate, natural disaster), the university will offer prorated refunds based on the general framework below. The university reserves the right to modify these terms based on the nature of the disruption and surrounding circumstances, including the ability to offer refunds as credits toward future semester costs for those continuing their enrollment.
Tuition. Our students’ successful academic progress remains the university’s highest priority in the event of an emergency or critical incident. In most circumstances, the university’s critical incident response plans ensure that instruction continues remotely through a variety of technologies, sometimes on a compressed or modified calendar. In such circumstances, no refunds of tuition will be issued.
Fees. Standard fees, program fees, lab fees, music fees, and other participation fees are used to support the preparation, maintenance, and operations of specific components of the university; therefore, fees are generally nonrefundable. Refunds for fees related to cancellation of specific study abroad programs will be addressed on a case-by-case basis; the university cannot guarantee a full return of these funds for expenses incurred by the university in preparation for travel (e.g., the purchase of nonrefundable travel tickets, etc.).
Housing. Room charges will be refunded on a prorated basis based on the housing rate assessed a student, less a $500 room reclamation allocation (the portion of housing charges used to clean and maintain housing in preparation for students’ arrivals). In calculating any proration, the start date of housing is equal to the first day all students are permitted to move on campus. The end date is the last date of classes, excluding final exams. The date of determination is the day following the last date students are permitted to remain in campus housing (i.e., the date students are required to exit campus following a public health order). Due to family or travel circumstances, some students may be unable to exit by the stated deadline. For students that request an extension due to extenuating circumstances, they will be permitted to remain on campus for up to seven additional days, in which case their proration shall be based on the original date of determination plus seven days. For students who must remain in emergency housing beyond that point, no housing refund will be provided.
Meal plans. Board refunds for block meal plans and unlimited meal plans will be prorated. For students enrolled in block meal plans, the proration will be based on the number of meals used, less any spent bonus bucks. Proration for students enrolled in unlimited plans will be based on the number of meal plan service days provided as of the date of determination (as outlined above). As dining dollars do not expire, students on dining dollar-only plans or with dining dollar credits balances will have their balances rolled to future semesters.
Adjustments to institutional financial aid. At the point of admission, residential students are provided with an institutional financial aid package that considers the costs of campus housing and meal plans. In the event of a residential disruption under this policy, the university may reduce the amount of institutional aid provided based on the reduced costs associated with the disruption. Students with institutional need-based aid (e.g., Mercy Scholarship, Presidential Scholarships, etc.), students with scholarships specific to support housing costs (e.g., Erie Housing Grant, Resident Assistant Scholarship, etc.), or students whose total grant and scholarship aid exceeds the costs of tuition and standard fees will have their aid adjusted. These reductions in financial aid are only for the semester in which the disruption occurred; aid will be fully restored in subsequent semesters, provided students continue to meet the eligibility criteria. Adjustments to financial aid may reduce, in whole or in part, any refund of housing or meal plan costs.
Refund Policy Due to Suspension or Expulsion
Students who are suspended or expelled from the university for a violation of the Student Conduct Code are ineligible for any refund of tuition, fees, room, or board charges for the semester in which the suspension or expulsion is imposed. The Vice President for Student Life and the Vice President for Enrollment may waive this policy in whole or in part at their mutual discretion. Under no circumstances will this policy be waived for violations related to physical violence, threat of violence, sexual violence or harassment, or reckless endangerment (including endangerment related to the violation of a required quarantine or isolation period in the context of a public health emergency).
