Withdrawal & Leave of Absence

Withdrawal
A student who wishes to withdraw from Gordon College must complete the online withdrawal process through Student Life in Lane Student Center.

Leave of Absence
A student who desires to take a leave of absence for one or two semesters must complete the online leave of absence process through Student Life. Students who are absent for more than two semesters must reapply for admission.

Important Note: A student who leaves school without completing the official leave of absence or withdrawal process will be considered to have withdrawn, and will be required to apply for readmission if he or she later wishes to return to the College.

*Remember that if you are not enrolled at least half-time for more than six months, your student loans will go into repayment.

Balance Due
When a student withdraws or takes a leave of absence, and his or her account has a balance due, it must be paid in full. If a student withdraws and full payment cannot be made at that time, the student must enroll in a Non-Current Student Payment Plan with AutoPay, through Transact (automatic monthly deductions from a checking account or credit card). If the student fails to do so, the College may charge interest at the rate of 1.25 percent per month (15 percent annually), or refer the account to an outside collections agency. The College reserves the right to charge all collection fees to the student.

College Refund Policy
If a student withdraws before a term begins, or in the first four weeks of the term, Gordon College will refund some or all of the tuition payments the student’s family made to the College. The portions that will be refunded, depending on the date of withdrawal, are listed in the Financial Guide. Processing a refund takes approximately two weeks. If a student withdraws after registration without the advice and consent of the dean of students or is suspended for disciplinary reasons or for nonpayment of a financial obligation to the College, no refund will be provided.

View the Financial Guide for a refund schedule for the current academic year, and information regarding room & board charges.

How Withdrawal Affects a Student's Federal Aid

Return of Title IV Funds Policy
Students who withdraw or take a leave of absence from the college and are receiving federal financial aid may be subject to the federal Return of Title IV Aid and state financial aid return policies. Students who plan to withdraw or take a leave of absence must notify the Office of Student Life. Non-attendance does not constitute official withdrawal. If a student who began attendance and did not officially withdraw fails to earn a passing grade in at least one course over an entire semester, the college must assume that the student has unofficially withdrawn. Unofficial withdrawals will be determined within 30 days of the end of the semester. Federal financial aid recipients will have their awards reviewed and recalculated, returning any Title IV funds as required by federal regulations within 45 days.

Federal Return to Title IV Aid Overview
The Office of Student Financial Services is required by federal statute to recalculate federal financial aid eligibility for students who withdraw, drop out, are dismissed, or take a leave of absence prior to completing 60% of a semester. The student's eligibility for the funds received from federal Title IV financial aid programs must be recalculated in these situations. Recalculation is based on the percentage of earned aid using the following Federal Return of Title IV funds formula.

• Percentage of earned aid = number of days of the semester completed up to the withdrawal date divided by the total days in the semester. For unofficial withdrawals, the withdrawal date used for aid recalculation is the midpoint of the semester. Any break of five days or more is not counted as part of the days in the semester.
• Funds are returned to the appropriate federal program based on the percentage of unearned aid using the following formula: Aid to be returned = (100% of the aid that could be disbursed minus the percentage of earned aid) multiplied by the semester total amount of aid that could have been disbursed during the semester. If a student earned less aid than was disbursed, the institution is required to return a portion of the funds that have been received by the student. Keep in mind that when Title IV funds are returned, the student may owe a balance to the institution.

If a student earned more aid than was disbursed, any grants will be disbursed to the student account automatically. However, the institution will confirm with the student (or parent, if they are the borrower) before making a post-withdrawal disbursement of loan funds (which must be paid within 120 days of the student's withdrawal).