Dropping or Withdrawing Classes
Your financial aid and scholarships may be affected by changes in your class schedule. Review the scenarios below, then visit your My Aid Dashboard and Scholarship Summary to review your financial aid before making a decision. Keep in mind that your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) may also be affected.
Spring & Summer Classes
If you receive a Pell Grant for spring and/or summer terms, dropping your classes may result in having to repay Pell Grant funds, depending on the timing. If you drop all your summer classes before the end of the spring term, you will repay all your summer Pell. If you drop/withdraw from spring classes and remain enrolled in summer, you may need to pay back the Pell grant for those spring courses. If you drop all of your summer classes after spring term ends, you may need to pay back all of your summer Pell AND some of your spring Pell as well. Contact Enrollment Services to schedule an appointment with an Enrollment Services Counselor to determine the consequences of dropping or withdrawing from spring and summer courses.
Scholarships
General BYU academic and need-based scholarships require you to be enrolled in at least 12 credits. Falling below 12 credits can result in the loss of your scholarship for the semester. You have the option to complete a Final Enrollment Contract for the last semester before graduation.
Off-campus and departmental scholarships have varying minimum credit-hour requirements. Review the credit hour requirement for your scholarship in your Scholarship Summary.
Federal Pell Grants
Your Federal Pell Grant is determined by your Pell Credit Eligibility.
All Pell-eligible classes must be added by the semester's Add/Drop Deadline to be counted towards the total credit hours that determine the Federal Pell Grant amount for that semester. If you add any class after the add/drop deadline (including a term class), that class may not count toward your total credits used to calculate your Pell Grant eligibility.
If you withdraw from a class after the add/drop deadline, the Financial Aid Office will review your account and look for proof of attendance. You will not have to be involved in that process. If it cannot be determined that you attended the class, you may be required to repay some or all of your Pell Grant. Withdrawing from all classes in a semester/term, even if there is proof of attendance, may result in a reduction of your Pell Grant.
Federal Loans
You must be enrolled in at least six credit hours for the semester at the time your loan is disbursed. If you drop or withdraw below six credit hours after disbursement but are still enrolled in at least one aid-eligible class, your loan will not be reduced. Dropping or withdrawing from all classes at any point in time in the semester/term, even if there is proof of attendance, may result in a reduction of your federal loans.
General Implications of Withdrawing
- Receiving a ‘W’ on your transcript affects your Satisfactory Academic Progress (both attempted hours and completion percent).
- All withdrawn classes become susceptible to the repeat policy.
What Happens to Your Federal Financial Aid? | ||
Pell Grant | Federal Loan | |
| On or Before the Add/Drop Deadline | If enrollment decreases (e.g., from full-time to 3/4-time), you will repay a portion based on credit hours by the Add/Drop Deadline. | If enrollment drops below half-time, your current disbursement is not affected, but future disbursements are canceled. |
| After the Add/Drop Deadline | If the dropped class was used to determine your Pell Grant, proof of attendance must be documented, or your Pell Grant will be reduced. | If enrollment drops below half-time, your current disbursement is not affected, but future disbursements are canceled. |
If you do an unofficial withdrawal, the Financial Aid Office must document that you began attendance in:
- Every class that counted toward your Pell Grant (except for ‘I’ grades).
- At least one class if you only received federal loan funds.
AND
- Document the last date of attendance from the class you attended the longest.
How Documentation is Collected
You, the student, are not responsible for providing the requested documentation. The Financial Aid Office contacts professors and verifies participation in classes through the various learning management systems on campus (i.e., Learning Suite).
What Happens to Your Federal Financial Aid?
Depending on whether or not you attended all of your classes and the documented last date of attendance, none, some, or all of your federal financial aid may be canceled. You are responsible for repaying any canceled amounts.