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Enrollment Status Effects

Financial Aid Enrollment Status

Enrollment Status         Full-Time          3/4-Time          Half-Time      Less than Half-Time

Undergraduates             12+ hours         9-11 hours      6-8 hours       5 or less hours

Graduates                           9+ hours                                           5-8 hours      4 or less hours

 

The following enrollment statuses and changes may affect your financial aid eligibility:

Dropping Courses/"No Record" Drops

Courses dropped during the add/drop period resulting in a 100 percent refund during the semester are not recorded on the UCO academic transcript, and therefore not aid eligible. Financial aid eligibility for "No Record" drops will be re-evaluated which could result in a change in enrollment status and a repayment of financial aid.

For student loan borrowers who completely withdraw, or drop to less than half-time enrollment status, federal regulations require that second loan disbursements be canceled.  Reinstatement of the second loan disbursement may be considered by completing a Loan Reinstatement Request form, once you are enrolled for at least six credit hours for the semester in which the loan was canceled.

 

Failing All Courses

Students who stop attending all classes, but do not officially withdraw are likely to receive an F grade or a combination of Fs/Ws at the end of the term. This is considered an unofficial withdrawal for the Return of Title IV Funds calculation purposes.  Since the university is not required to take attendance, the last date of attendance reported by the faculty, or the mid-point (50%) of the term is used to calculate the Return of Title IV Funds.

If the amount of financial aid disbursed to the student is less than the amount the student earned, and for which the student is otherwise eligible, the student is eligible to receive a post-withdrawal disbursement of the earned aid that was not received calculated using the Return of Title IV Funds calculation.

 

Withdrawal From All Courses

Enrolled students who wish to withdraw from all classes are required to officially withdraw through the Broncho OneStop. Failure to do so could cause a student to owe additional money to the university.  Complete or partial withdrawals may require funds to be returned to the federal program from which funds were disbursed.

Federal aid recipients who officially withdraw from all classes after school begins, but prior to completing up through 60 percent of the semester may have to repay a portion of the federal funds received called a “Return of Title IV Funds”.  UCO is required to recalculate the amount of financial aid the student earned for the length of time classes were attended and the amount of unearned financial aid based on the date of official withdrawal from classes. This calculation may require the student and/or the University, on the student’s behalf, to immediately repay funds disbursed for the purpose of paying educational costs. 

Funds will be returned to the Title IV federal program from which the student received aid during the enrollment period in the following order:

1.  Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loan
2.  Subsidized Direct Stafford Loan
3.  Perkins Loan
4.  Direct PLUS Loan
5.  Federal Pell Grant  
6.  Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, FSEOG
9.  Federal TEACH Grant
10. Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant

Due to a student’s withdrawal, federal financial aid may not cover all unpaid institutional charges. Students will be required to reimburse the University funds repaid to the federal programs on their behalf. Repayments should be made to the Bursar’s Office.

Calculation/Formula: Number of days enrolled (divided by) Total number of days in the semester = Percent of aid earned.  Enrolled days / days in enrollment period = % of aid earned.

Financial Aid

Example of Withdrawal

A Federal Pell Grant for $2,865 was disbursed to the student's account for the enrollment period.  Student withdraws on the 40th day of class of the 117-day enrollment period, which is after the institutional refund period.

Forty days attended, 40 of the 117 days in enrollment period; 40/117=34% of aid earned.  The unearned aid portion = 66%.

Sixty-six percent (66%) of the $2,865 Federal Pell Grant disbursed for the enrollment period must be returned to the federal aid program which = $1,891.  Student Financial Services returns $1891 to the Federal Pell Grant program, and $1,891 is debited to the student's account to cover the Return of Federal Financial Aid Funds to the federal program.

Retaking Courses

Course enrollment resulting in a passing grade may be retaken a second time, but additional retakes will not be included in the enrollment level for financial aid eligibility.

 

Audited Courses

Courses that are taken for Audit are not taken for credit, and therefore are not eligible for financial aid.

 

Consortium Agreements/Dual Enrollment

Students seeking Federal Financial Aid while simultaneously attending more than one institution may be aid eligible for the combined enrollment by submitting a consortium form. Generally, the home school where the student is seeking the degree would grant the aid and provide the Consortium form.

Interested students that are seeking a degree at UCO may secure a copy of either the General Consortium Agreement, or the Individual Consortium Agreement, from the Financial Aid Forms area of this website, and carefully follow the instructions. If UCO is the home institution, consortium hours will not be added to the UCO enrollment for aid consideration until after the end of the 100% refund period of the semester or summer term.  This applies to classes taken under both the General Consortium Agreement and the Individual Consortium Agreement forms.  Students are expected to cover all expenses at the host institution until financial aid funds become available.