Refund Policy - Withdrawal Policy

Refund Policy

Deadline dates for withdrawals and refunds for each semester are posted in the Academic Calendar available from the Course Schedule page. Refund and withdrawal dates are different for short term and full term classes. Students who completely withdraw from the University or drop an individual course before the deadline may be eligible for a full refund of tuition and fees. 

NSU does not withdraw students for non-payment and does not issue partial refunds. Check the calendar each semester before classes start in order to ensure your withdrawal form is received by the pertinent dates.

Refunds are based on the day the classes are dropped or the student withdrawal is filed with the Registrar's Office, not on the date the student stopped attending classes.

Refunds are disbursed via NSU TouchNet. 

 

Withdrawal Policy - Financial Aid

In order to officially withdraw from all classes (or your last class) for the semester, complete the Online Semester Withdrawal form through the Registrar's Office. The effective date of the withdrawal will be the date the form is received in the Registrar's Office. 

A student's withdrawal for federal financial aid purpose is:

• The date the student began the institution's withdrawal process (as described in the Academic Calendar and Course Schedule) or officially notified the institution of intent to withdraw; or
• The midpoint of the payment period for a student who leaves without notifying the institution; or
• The student's last date of attendance at a documented academically related activity. 

Students receiving federal financial assistance who completely withdraw from all classes, drop out, are expelled, or fail to receive a passing grade in all courses during a period of enrollment, will be subject to the Return of Title IV Funds refund policy required by federal regulations. The Return of Title IV Funds is calculated during each period or term of enrollment.

The term Title IV Funds refers to the Federal financial aid programs authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (as amended) and includes the following programs:

• Federal PLUS Loan
• Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
• Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans
• Iraq/Afghanistan Service Grant
• Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant (TEACH)
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
• Federal Pell Grant

Students who are enrolled in courses that do not span the entire semester are considered to be enrolled in modules. Students who fail to complete all enrolled modules in which they receive federal aid, may owe a return of funds. The student is not considered withdrawn if they meet any of the following exceptions:

• The institution obtains written confirmation that the student will attend a later module in the same payment period of period of enrollment;
• The student completed the requirements for graduation;
• The student completed one or more modules that, together comprise at least 49% of the days in the payment period; or
• The student completes coursework equal to or greater than the coursework required for half-time enrollment.

This policy assumes students "earn" their financial aid based on the period of time in which they are enrolled throughout the semester. The policy refers to two types of withdrawals: official and unofficial. When a student officially withdraws from all courses, Student Financial Services processes a Return of Title IV form. The form specifies the student's date of withdrawal, institutional charges, aid disbursed, and aid that could have been disbursed.

An unofficial withdrawal occurs when a student does not receive a passing grade in any of their courses at the end of each semester. The withdrawal date for these students will be midpoint, last day of attendance, or attendance in an academic event for the semester. The withdrawal date for students who fail to return from an approved leave of absence will be designated as the date the leave of absence began.

After determining students' withdrawal dates, official or unofficial, the Office of Student Financial Services must determine if the amount of aid disbursed to the student is greater than the amount earned. Any unearned funds must be returned to the federal student aid programs. If, at the time of withdrawal, the amount disbursed to the student is less than the amount they earned, they may be eligible to receive a post-withdrawal disbursement of earned aid not yet disbursed. If students or parents are eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement, they will be notified by mail and will have 14 days to respond and approve or deny the post-withdrawal disbursement. The return of unearned aid may be the responsibility of the University, the student or both. The method used to calculate earned aid is found using the following formula:

Number of days enrolled (divided by) *Total number of days in the semester = Percent of aid earned. (*The total number of calendar days in a term of enrollment shall exclude any scheduled breaks of more than five days.)

Students who remain enrolled beyond 60 percent of the semester are considered to have earned 100 percent of Title IV aid received. Students who are enrolled for less than 60 percent of the semester will likely be responsible for repaying a portion of the financial aid received. The percentage of Title IV aid unearned (i.e., to be returned to the appropriate program) shall be 100 percent minus the percent earned.

When performing a Return of Title IV calculation, all student's institutional charges, i.e., tuition, fees, and room and board, are included in the calculation, as well as disbursed federal aid. Unearned aid to be returned is calculated as follows: Total institutional charges X Percent of unearned aid = Amount returned to program(s). Any refund amount calculated from this formula that the University must return will be returned to the appropriate federal aid programs in the following order:

1. Federal PLUS Loan
2. Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
3. Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans
4. Iraq/Afghanistan Service Grant
5. Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant (TEACH)
6. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
7. Federal Pell Grant

Students must be aware that when the institution is required to return unearned funds due to their withdrawal, the student may have a balance due to the school. This balance is separate from any overpayment the student must repay due to withdrawal. 

The University must complete the Return of Title IV process within 45 days of the date of a student's withdrawal and notify the student.