If a student determines it is necessary to withdraw from their program of study prior to completion of the program, the student must contact both the WSPN Administrator and the Financial Aid Administrator. The student will be informed of possible consequences of the withdrawal. Should the student determine that withdrawal is their desired course of action, a withdrawal form must be completed and filed with the WSPN Administrator and the Financial Aid Office.

Federal regulations mandate how Four Rivers must calculate the amount of Federal Student Aid a student is eligible to receive when they withdraw from a program. These regulations use a specific formula that uses a student’s last day of attendance and the scheduled hours in the payment period to determine the amount of earned Federal Student Aid. Attendance is determined through official enrollment and withdrawal records at Four Rivers Career Center. A student’s last date of attendance is the last day they attended class or a class activity. For more detail information about this calculation contact our Financial Aid Office.

The amount of Federal Student Aid earned by a student withdrawing from a program is calculated on a pro-rata basis. For example, if a student has completed 30% of the payment period, they have earned 30% of the Federal Student Aid for which they qualified and must return the remaining 70%. Once a student has completed 60% of the payment period, the student has earned 100% of their scheduled Federal Student Aid.

• Example of Earned Aid Calculation:
  • A student withdraws or is dismissed after completing 180 of the total 450 payment period clock hours
  • The student has earned 40% (180/450) of their Federal Student Aid funds
  • The student and/or institution must return the remaining 60% (100% - 40%) of the unearned Federal Student Aid funds

If a student withdraws from a program and has received more Title IV funds than they have earned, all unearned Title IV funds must be returned by the school and/or student to the appropriate Federal Aid program as soon as possible but no later than 45 days after withdrawal. Any loan funds that the student must return are subject to repayment according to the terms of the promissory note signed by the student and are payable to the holder of the loan.

Federal regulations specify the order in which these unearned funds must be returned to the Title IV program. Four Rivers must ensure that returned funds are applied to eliminate outstanding balances on loans and grants for the payment period in the following order:

• Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
• Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans
• PLUS Loans
• Federal Pell Grants

If a student has received less Federal Student Aid funds than they have earned, the student will be eligible to receive the additional earned funds through a post-withdrawal disbursement. Post withdrawal disbursements may include payment to the school for the current pro-rated portion of charges incurred while the student was actively enrolled in the program that are still due to the school. This post-withdrawal disbursement may also include a payment to the student for any aid earned above and beyond the fees due to the school. The school will NOT include Title IV loan funds in a post withdrawal disbursement without written consent from the student.