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Unsatisfactory Academic Standing
Appeals Process
Should a determination be made that you are ineligible to
receive a Federal Stafford Student Loan based upon unsatisfactory
academic standing, you will receive that determination in
writing. As stated previously, you must maintain a minimum
cumulative grade point average of 3.0. In addition, students
normally complete their degree requirements within 3-5 years
from the original admission term. You will be offered the
opportunity to appeal this determination using the following
steps:
- Provide a letter of appeal addressed to
the Financial Aid Officer with an explanation of the extenuating
circumstances. Extenuating circumstances--such as the death
of a relative, physical injury or illness to you or an immediate
family member--can be used as the basis for an appeal. (You
will be given a deadline for receipt of this appeal in your
original determination letter.)
- Meet with the Director of Admissions and
the Financial Aid Officer if requested to do so.
- Meet with the Appeal Committee (consisting
of the Financial Aid Officer, the Director of Admissions,
and the Director of your academic program) if requested
to do so.
You may be asked to provide supporting
documentation of extenuating circumstances.
In the event your appeal is denied, you will
be eligible to reapply for a Federal Stafford Student Loan
the semester after you have met the required cumulative grade
point average of 3.0.
Rensselaer at Hartford Tuition Refund
Policy
Tuition is refunded in full for any course dropped within
the posted add/drop date deadline. This deadline is published
in the Rensselaer at Hartford Catalog and course schedules
for each term. There is generally no refund of tuition
after the posted add/drop deadline; late drops normally result
in forfeiture of tuition. Cases of late withdrawal involving
extenuating circumstances beyond a student's control are given
individual consideration and review.
Return of Federal Stafford Student
Loan Program Funds
All or a portion of Stafford Student Loan funds must be returned
when a Federal Loan recipient totally withdraws
from courses during the semester. If you sign up for two or
more courses but do not attend even the first class, then
you are ineligible for a disbursement and all of the funds
are either not disbursed or returned.
A student who voluntarily withdraws from
Rensselaer during the academic year must complete and sign
a Request for Withdrawal form and submit it to the Registrar's
Office in order to leave in good standing. Again, if you withdraw
from some classes, but continue to be enrolled in other classes,
this Return of Federal Student Loan Program Funds policy does
not apply. (However, keep in mind that half-time enrollment
is required to be eligible for a loan disbursement and to
maintain in-school deferment status.) When you withdraw from
all courses during the semester (after the add-drop period),
the amount of Federal Loan funds you have earned up to that
point is determined by a federally mandated formula. If you
received less of a disbursement than the amount that you earned,
you will be able to receive those additional funds. If you
received more of a disbursement than you earned, the excess
funds must be returned. The return of Federal Student Loan
funds is calculated by using a formula based upon your withdrawal
date and the percentage of earned vs. unearned loan funds.
(Examples of Return of Federal Stafford Student Loan Program
Funds are available through the Financial Aid Office upon
request.)
Withdrawal Date
In order to calculate the exact amount of funds to be returned
your withdrawal date is first determined using one of the
three options below.
- The date you began the withdrawal process.
As stated above, this is accomplished by submitting a signed
Request for Withdrawal form to the Registrar's Office.
- The date you otherwise provided the school
with official notification of the intent to withdraw. It
is important to note that, according to federal regulations,
a student has provided official notification to the institution
of an intent to withdraw if the student indicates so either
in writing or orally. Either way, notification must be made
to the Registrar's Office.
- In the case of an unofficial withdrawal
(i.e., you do not notify the school of your intent to withdraw):
the mid-point of the period of enrollment for which Federal
Loan funds were disbursed or your last date of attendance
at an academically related event (as documented by Rensselaer).
However, if circumstances beyond your control
caused the unofficial withdrawal (i.e., illness, accident,
grievous personal loss) and can be documented, Rensselaer
may use its discretion in determining an appropriate withdrawal
date.
Federal Stafford Student Loan Funds
Both the net amount of loan funds disbursed and the net amount
that could have been disbursed are calculated. Added together
these two amounts equal the total amount of Federal Stafford
Loan funds.
Percentage Earned vs. Unearned Federal
Stafford Student Loan Funds
Once a withdrawal date has been determined, Rensselaer can
calculate the percentage of the enrollment period the student
has completed, as follows:
If the percentage earned is greater
than 60% (i.e., the number must be .6001 rounded to 60.0%),
it is assumed you earned 100% of the Federal Loan funds for
that semester (as of the day you withdrew). No further calculations
are made.
Amount of Earned vs. Unearned Federal Stafford
Loan Funds
Once the percentage earned and unearned has been determined,
it is possible to calculate the amounts of earned vs. unearned
Federal Stafford Loan Funds. Up to and including the 60% point
in time:
To determine the Amount of Unearned Federal
Stafford Loan Funds, the following formula is applied:
*Total Amount of Federal Loan Funds is
the amount that was disbursed and that could have been disbursed
to the student. (Disbursements yet to be made for which the
student is eligible must be included in the calculation of
Federal Loan Funds Earned.)
If the Amount of Federal Loan Funds Earned
is greater than the net amount disbursed, then a post-withdrawal
disbursement is made for the difference.
If the Amount of Federal Loan Funds Earned
is less than the net amount disbursed, then the difference
must be returned.
Responsibility of Rensselaer at Hartford
The amount Rensselaer must return to the lender is the lesser
of:
- The Unearned Amount of Federal Loan Funds;
or
- The institutional charges (i.e.,
tuition) incurred for the period of enrollment multiplied
by the Unearned Percentage.
(It also is the school's responsibility to
notify the lender's Loan Servicing Center of your withdrawal
date via the National Student Loan Data System.)
Order of Return of Federal Stafford
Student Loan Funds
Excess funds must be credited to outstanding balances in the
following order: Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans and then
Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans.
Responsibility of the Student
Students return the Unearned Amount of Federal Loan funds
minus the amount the school returns. In actuality, this amount
is simply repaid in accordance with the terms of the student’s
Master Promissory Note.
Special Note Regarding Leave of Absence
A leave of absence is not treated as a withdrawal and no return
of Federal Stafford Student Loan funds is calculated. A student
taking an approved leave retains his or her in-school status.
A leave of absence may be taken for not more than a total
of 180 days in any 12-month period. (Schools can allow one
additional approved leave--not to exceed 30 days--for unforeseen
circumstances pursuant to the single leave of absence. Additional
subsequent leaves may be granted for jury duty, military reasons,
or circumstances covered under the Family and Medical Leave
Act of 1993.)
According to Rensselaer at Hartford policy,
a student in good standing who finds it necessary to withdraw
for an allowable period of time must request a leave of absence
form and submit it to the Registrar's Office. This application
form must include the reason for the requested leave of absence.
For purposes of the Federal Loan Program, you must request
a leave of absence prior to the actual leave--unless due to
unforeseen circumstances--and Rensselaer must have approved
your request in accordance with its policy. If you fail to
return from an approved (or unapproved) leave of absence,
the date the leave began or the documented date of your last
attendance at an academically related activity would be the
withdrawal date. The Return of Federal Student Loan Program
funds would then be calculated as described above.
It also is Rensselaer's responsibility
to inform students who participate in the Federal Loan program
and who request a leave of absence about the possible consequences
of failing to return from a leave of absence. Since the date
of withdrawal in this instance can be calculated from the
date the leave began, you may have exhausted part or all of
the six-month grace period prior to entering repayment.
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