Dropping Classes and Your Financial Aid

What If I Drop A Class?

Dropping a class can result in SAP problems and/or Overpayment issues.

Depending on your current SAP status you may be placed on Probation, Suspension, or become Ineligble. See our Academic Progress FAQs.

Depending on when you drop, you may also owe money.

• If you drop classes during the add/drop period and this results in a change of your enrollment status, you may owe money. This is considered an overpayment.
• If you get paid for a class that you never attend, you will owe money. This includes short-term and weekend classes. This is considered a recalculation.

If you owe money due to an overpayment or recalculation, you have 45 days to repay the college in full or it may be reported to the Department of Education (DOE). You will not be able to register for classes at Cabrillo until the overpayment has been paid. If reported to the DOE, you will not be able to receive further financial aid from any college.

For example…
Student C. Hawk enrolls full-time at the beginning of the semester and receives her first financial aid disbursement. C. Hawk then decides that she needs a part-time job.
If she drops to:
3/4 time, she will receive an adjusted 2nd disbursement;
1/2 time, she will not receive a 2nd disbursement and may owe money;
less than 1/2 time, she will not receive a 2nd disbursement and will owe all or a portion of the money back.

Note: Depending on when you drop, you may also have SAP problems. For more information, refer to our SAP policy.

What If I Drop ALL Of My Classes?

If you do not complete any of your classes during a semester you may owe money.

Repayment

If you receive federal financial aid and withdraw from ALL of your classes before completing more than 60% of the semester, you will be required to return any unearned federal funds(see withdrwal dates below).

Note: If you were awarded aid and drop or are dropped from all of your classes in the first two weeks of the term, you must repay the full amount received.

Your withdrawal date is:

• The date you notify the Financial Aid Office you intend to withdraw

  or

• The midpoint of the semester IF:

  • you leave without notifying the college, or

  • receive all F's and/or NC's

    or

• Your last date of attendance in class.

Within 30-days, we will notify you of any funds you may owe, or offer you any earned funds which were not disbursed. Using your withdrawal date, the Financial Aid Office will calculate how much of the federal aid you have earned.

You have 45 days from the date you withdraw to:

• Repay the unearned federal aid in full to the College, or
• Set up a satisfactory repayment arrangement with the Department of Education.

Grant overpayments will be reported on day 46 if you fail to pay the overpayment and a national hold will be placed on your student aid eligibility.

Note: Depending on when you drop, you may also have SAP problems. For more information, refer to our SAP policy.

To determine if you were eligible to receive federal funds even though none were disbursed, the Financial Aid Office must have:

• received your valid SAR with a calculated EFC, and/or
• originated your loan request and you are a first-year, first-time borrower that has completed the first 30 days of the semester.

If you did not receive all of your earned federal aid and your withdrawal date has been determined, we will send you a letter offering the aid. You will need to respond within 14 calendar days indicating whether or not you want the funds. If you request the aid, a check will be mailed to you within 90 days of the College's determination that you withdrew.