If you have to withdraw or change your enrollment after registering for any semester or session for any reason — no matter if it is voluntary, requested by Saint Louis University or for other reasons — the following regulations apply:
- If you have no registration hold, you can drop all classes in Banner Self-Service on the Add/Drop Classes page. If you have a registration hold, you will need to use the Petition for Complete Withdraw with Registration Hold Form.
- Tuition charges will be refunded in accordance with the schedule listed below.
- Course fees charges will not be refunded.
- Residence hall charges will be refunded in accordance with the residence contract.
- Withdrawal during summer and special sessions will be governed by regulations printed or made available online in the appropriate summer sessions schedule of classes.
If you withdraw from the University or drop classes within an enrollment period, keep the following in mind:
- Consult your school/program’s policies and practices regarding grades when withdrawing or dropping classes. If you leave the University and do not formally withdraw, you will be assigned a grade of “F” (failure).
- Withdrawal or dropping classes does not eliminate your financial obligation to the University. You are still responsible for any charges owed to the University at the time you withdraw or drop classes, based on the University’s tuition and housing refund policies.
- There are specific federal, state and University withdrawal/drop policies regarding tuition and fees, housing charges, refunds to scholarship/financial aid programs, and repayments, which result from withdrawal from enrollment. Consult the Office of Student Financial Services for all particulars.
Need to Re-enroll?
- Your registration for classes may be canceled if you have not made satisfactory payment arrangements by the payment due dates. Before re-enrolling, contact student financial services to make payment arrangements.
- Complete and submit a registration form. To complete the form, you will need signatures from each of your professors, your academic adviser, your dean and the student financial services office.
Tuition Refund Policy
The percent of tuition refunded is based on the date of withdrawal. Course fees are
not refundable.
Students who drop classes during the fall or spring semesters and do not withdraw
from the University may only receive a 100 percent refund in the difference in tuition
costs during the first two weeks of classes. No refunds are given for changing enrollment
and dropping classes once the third week of classes has begun.
For a complete list of refund dates, click here.
Additionally, to review the request for exemption from University tuition charge and/or fee policy, click here.
Scholarships and Financial Aid Repayment
You may be required to immediately repay scholarship/financial aid funds when withdrawing or dropping classes in the following situations:
- If a credit balance is created in your student account due to your withdrawal or dropped classes, these funds may be used to repay your scholarship/financial aid awards. This will depend on the amount and type of your scholarship/financial aid and the date of your withdrawal.
- If you withdraw completely from the University, you are no longer eligible to receive any scholarship/financial aid payments from that date forward. Federal Work Study money earned before withdrawal will be paid. Students may not keep Federal Work Study jobs after withdrawing from the University.
Information regarding the federal/state and University regulations for calculating scholarship/financial aid refunds and repayments and the order of programs to which we restore aid is available from the Office of Student Financial Services.
Merit-Based Scholarships
If you are receiving a University funded merit-based scholarship, such as a Dean’s Scholarship or Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship, you must request a Scholarship Leave of Absence before withdrawal from the University. If you do not secure the leave of absence before withdrawing from SLU, you will not be eligible for a renewal of your merit-based scholarships.
Withdrawal Impact on Federal Financial Aid
Saint Louis University awards aid based on the assumption that you will attend the institution for the entire period for which you are enrolled. If you do not attend the entire period, you may not be eligible for all of the federal aid (also known as Title IV aid) you were awarded.
If a financial aid recipient withdraws from the University before completing at least 60 percent of the semester, federal regulations require that the "unearned" portion of any federal financial aid received be returned to the appropriate federal aid source.
The applicable federal regulation guiding this process, known as "Return to Title IV," is found in title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations, 668.22.
To determine a student's eligibility for Title IV programs, his or her date of withdrawal must be determined.
Withdrawal Type
Official Withdrawal: Your official withdrawal date may be either the last day of an academically related activity or the date of notification of withdrawal.
Unofficial Withdrawal: If you stop attending classes but do not notify SLU of your withdrawal, your instructor is required to include a “last activity date” when submitting a grade of "FQ.” This date is used to identify students who did not officially withdraw from the course but ceased attending class. SLU will use the midpoint of the term to calculate the return of financial aid if an academically related activity cannot be documented.
Determining the Return of Federal Aid
The amount of aid that will be returned if you withdraw or drop classes is determined on a prorated basis. For example, if you stop attending classes after 50 percent of the term is complete, you earn 50 percent of the aid you were scheduled to receive. Once you attend classes for 60 percent of an enrollment period, you are considered to have earned 100 percent of your Title IV aid, and no returns are necessary.
If it is determined that funds must be returned, they will be applied in the following order, up to the net amount disbursed from each source, until the amount to be returned is met:
- Unsubsidized Direct Loan (other than PLUS loans)
- Subsidized Direct Loan
- Federal Perkins loans
- Direct PLUS loans
- Federal Pell Grants for which a return of funds is required
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG) for which a return of funds is required
- Federal TEACH grants for which a return of funds is required
- Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant for which a return of funds is required
Students affected by a Return of Title IV calculation will be notified on an individual basis via electronic mail within 30 days from the date of determination. The Return of Title IV calculation may result in a balance due to Saint Louis University or a credit/refund to the student.
After all Title IV aid return requirements have been satisfied, remaining credit balances will be returned to the lender to reduce loan obligation or returned to the student within 14 days after the R2T4 calculation. Refunds mailed to the student will be sent to the address designated on their account or deposited directly into a checking or savings account connected to their student account.
If it is determined that the student is eligible to receive more funds than were originally disbursed, the student would be eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement of Title IV funds.
If the funds eligible for the post-withdrawal disbursement are grant funds, SLU may disburse them to cover tuition, fees, and room and board charges within 45 days without the student's permission. If the funds eligible to be disbursed are loan funds beyond the cost of tuition, fees, and room and board, SLU cannot disburse the funds without the student's permission and must do so within 45 days.
Notification Process
Notification of eligibility of a post-withdrawal disbursement must occur within 30 days from the date of determination. The student will have 14 days to respond to accept or decline funds.
Aid to be returned is equal to unearned percentage (100 percent minus the Percent earned) multiplied by the amount of aid disbursed toward institutional charges. If a student earned less aid than was disbursed, the institution would be required to return a portion of the funds and the student may be required to return a portion of the funds. All Title IV fund returns must be completed no later than 45 calendar days after the date SFS determines that the student withdrew.
More information may be found on the Return to Title IV process from the Federal Student Aid Handbook.
Learn more about the withdraw and refund policies for the following programs:
- School of Law: 314-977-3369
- School of Medicine: 314-977-9840
- School for Professional Studies: 314-977-2330
- Study Abroad: 314-977-2318
The policies, regulations, procedures, and fees are subject to change without prior notice, if necessary, to keep Saint Louis University policies in compliance with state and federal laws and/or with rules and regulations of Saint Louis University.672 × 605