WITHDRAWAL FROM THE UNIVERSITY
It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw officially from the University or from an individual course in accordance with University regulations. The “Student Records and General Academic Policies” section of this catalog has the necessary instructions.
Tuition charges are reduced following withdrawal from all classes in an enrollment period at a rate based on the date the student initiates the withdrawal process in the Office of Academic Records and University Registrar, as reflected in the “Proration of Tuition” section. Exceptions to the withdrawal initiated date policy include medical withdrawals from all classes and withdrawals from all classes due to involuntary military induction. Proration for medical withdrawal is based on the withdrawal effective date determined by the director of the University of Alabama Student Health Center. Withdrawal due to involuntary military induction (supported by a valid military induction notice) will result in full tuition removal. For dropping an individual course, proration is determined by the date the student initiates the action.
Enrollment periods are the fall semester, the spring semester, or the summer term. The summer term includes several different sessions—a three-week Interim session and two five-week summer sessions. If a student who has or will complete any course enrollment for the summer term wishes to drop classes for a specific session, this will be considered a course drop rather than a withdrawal since the student is still enrolled in the summer term.
Students who receive federal financial aid and subsequently withdraw from all classes before completing the enrollment period are subject to full or partial federal aid cancellation and repayment of funds received. See “Impact of Withdrawal on Students Receiving Federal Financial Aid.”
Students suspended from school for disciplinary reasons have no right to refunds of any tuition paid or to the cancellation of amounts due.
Students are responsible for clearing any outstanding balances on their accounts before leaving campus. Refunds upon withdrawal from all courses will not be issued for three weeks, to allow time for all necessary adjustments to be made to the student’s account.
Students are not entitled to refunds or cancellation of amounts due for residence hall contracts unless they withdraw from all classes. See “Proration of Housing Charges.”
Refunds of housing deposits are issued upon authorization of Residential Life if the student has a clear account balance.
Refunds of ROTC deposits are issued upon authorization of the ROTC supply officer if the student has a clear account balance.
No refunds will be made to a student who has an outstanding balance on his or her account.
Withdrawal or dropping of courses during the semester may result in an increased hourly cost for the remaining hours. Tuition charges are based on the remaining hours plus a percent of the hours dropped, as determined by the date the withdrawal is initiated or the course(s) are dropped. For example, dropping from 14 hours to 6 hours, will adjust the tuition to the cost of taking 8 hours (i.e., 6 remaining hours plus 2 hours (25 percent of the 8 dropped hours = 2 hours). For current proration dates, go online to studentreceivables.ua.edu/withdrawals.html.
Traditional Courses
These are term-based courses with a set start and end date.
| Fall or spring semester | Cost incurred |
| Registration through eighth day of semester | Registration fee charge only |
| Ninth day through fourth week | Cost of the remaining enrolled hours plus 25 percent of the dropped hours |
| Fifth through seventh week | Cost of the remaining enrolled hours plus 50 percent of the dropped hours |
| Eighth week on | No adjustment in the original charge |
| Summer Term Interim session | Cost incurred |
| Registration through second class day | no charge |
| Third class day on | No adjustment in the original charge |
| First or second summer session | Cost incurred |
| Registration through second class day | Registration fee charge only |
| Third class day through third week | Cost of the remaining enrolled hours plus 50 percent of the dropped hours |
| Fourth week on | No adjustment in the original charge |
| Full (dual) session courses* | Cost incurred |
| Registration through second class day | Registration fee charge only |
| Third class day through fourth week | Cost of the remaining enrolled hours plus 50 percent of the dropped hours |
| Fifth week on | No adjustment in the original charge |
Non-Traditional Courses/Open Learning Courses
These courses are not term based and have variable starting and ending dates.
| Print-based independent study and online courses | Cost incurred |
| Start date through 30 days | No charge |
| 31 days through 60 days | 50 percent charge |
| 61 days on | No adjustment in the original charge |
| External degree courses | Cost incurred |
| Start date through 30 days | No charge |
| 31 days on | No adjustment in the original charge |
The following proration of housing charges goes into effect in the event of withdrawal from all classes. Students must contact the Housing and Residential Communities upon withdrawal.
For more detailed information, contact The University of Alabama, Office of Housing and Residential Communities at (205) 348-6676 or toll free (888) 498-2262, Box 870399, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0399; located on the First Floor, Mary Burke Hall East; Web site reslife.ua.edu. For current proration dates, go online to studentreceivables.ua.edu/withdrawals.html.
| Fall or spring semester | Cost incurred |
| Registration through eighth day of semester | No charge |
| Ninth day of semester through fourth week | 25 percent charge |
| Fifth through seventh week | 50 percent charge |
| Eighth week on | 100 percent charge |
| Summer term | |
| Interim session | Cost incurred |
| Registration through second class day | No charge |
| Third class day on | 100 percent charge |
| First or second summer session | Cost incurred |
| Registration through second class day | No charge |
| Third class day through third week | 50 percent charge |
| Fourth week on | 100 percent charge |
| Full (dual) session courses* | Cost incurred |
| Registration through second class day | No charge |
| Third class day through fourth week | 50 percent charge |
| Fifth week on | 100 percent charge |
Impact of Withdrawal on Students Receiving Federal Financial Aid
In addition to the financial impact on institutional costs and charges noted earlier in this section related to withdrawal from all classes in an enrollment period, student recipients of federal Title IV aid (Federal Pell Grants, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Direct Loans, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and Alabama State Grants) are subject to additional rules and regulations, which may result in cancellation or reduction of federal Title IV aid upon withdrawal from classes in an enrollment period.
Although federal aid is normally disbursed at the beginning of an enrollment period, this aid is “earned” as the student attends classes throughout the period. The difference in awarded and “earned” aid at the point of withdrawal may result in the need to return “unearned” aid.
Reductions in aid associated with the institutional cost portion (tuition, dorm charges, course fees) resulting from withdrawal from all classes for the enrollment period will be returned to each source of aid/scholarship received by the student, up to the total amount received from each source, in the following order:
- Federal Direct Loan(s), Unsubsidized
- Federal Direct Loan(s), Subsidized
- Federal Perkins Loan
- Federal Direct Loan(s), PLUS
- Federal Pell Grant
- Federal SEOG Grant
- Other aid or scholarships
Any remaining credit, after these cancellations have occurred, will be returned to the student (net of any charges remaining on the student account).
In some circumstances, withdrawal may result in the student assuming the liability for the payment of any remaining institutional charges for the enrollment period in addition to any miscellaneous charges outstanding on the student account.
A federal aid recipient who withdraws from an enrollment period is subject to possible repayment of federal aid disbursed to the student (after payment of institutional charges) for living expenses and other educational needs. If the aid disbursed is greater than the “earned” portion of the aid at the point of withdrawal, it may be necessary for the student to repay all or a portion of the federal aid received.
For further information and a copy of a worksheet used to determine how much, if any, aid is to be returned, contact the Office of Student Receivables, 105 Student Services Center, (205) 348-5350; e-mail receivables@fa.ua.edu or go online to studentreceivables.ua.edu/withdrawals.html.
If a student withdraws during an enrollment period for which a University loan or scholarship, or a private loan or scholarship, has been received and utilized to pay all or a portion of institutional charges (tuition, course fees, and dorm charges), and no federal aid is involved, any excess funds (resulting from the reduction of institutional charges stemming from the withdrawal action) will be returned to each non-federal loan or scholarship program according to the percentage of the total institutional charges originally paid by each scholarship or loan program. Institutional loans or scholarships are assumed to be the first payment source in this calculation method.
For further information, contact The University of Alabama, Office of Student Receivables, Box 870120, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0120; (205) 348-5350; e-mail receivables@fa.ua.edu. The Office of Student Receivables in located in 105 Student Services Center.