Financial Aid Office

If a student withdraws from UW Oshkosh, then the University, the student, or both may be required to return some or all of the federal financial aid awarded for that semester.  Official withdrawals are students who withdraw from school after beginning attendance.  The official withdrawal date is determined by the Registrar’s Office based on when a student drops all of their classes, or notifies a univeristy of their intent to withdraw.

The federal government requires a return of Title IV Federal Aid that was received if the student withdrew on or before completing 60% of the semester.  The school must perform a calculation to determine the amount of Title IV aid earned by the student.

Unofficial withdrawals students are defined as students who failed all of their classes per grades reported at the end of the semester.

Identification Process

A final grade of “F” is assigned by instructors failing students. When instructors assign an “F” grade they are asked to report the last known date of attendance, if possible.

At the end of each semester, a report is generated of all student who have Title IV Federal Aid and who have a semester GPA of 0.00. Those students who have all “F’s” are assumed to be “unofficially withdrawn”.

Administrative Action

The report is reviewed for those students with federal and state aid whom are assumed to have unofficially withdrawn from the University. The last date of attendance as reported by any of the instructors is determined and used in the Return of Title IV Funds calculation.

If a last day of attendance cannot otherwise be determined, the student is assumed to have attended 50% of the enrollment period and the formula is calculated based on that length of attendance.

Students will be billed for resulting institutional charges and repayments of federal and/or state financial aid.

In coordination with federal regulations, the Financial Aid Office will perform the calculation within 30 days of your withdrawal from the University to determine how your aid package will be refunded. Funds will be returned to the appropriate federal aid program (loan, grant, scholarship, etc.) within 45 days of your withdrawal. If after the R2T4 and institutional refund calculations are applied to the student’s account and the result is a credit balance, the credit balance will be disbursed as soon as possible but no later than 14 days after the date of the R2T4 calculation. If you meet the federal criteria for a post-withdrawal disbursement, you will be notified of your eligibility within 30 days of determining your date of withdrawal. If the eligibility is for a grant disbursement, the funds will be disbursed within 45 days of determining your date of withdrawal. If the eligibility is for a loan (or parent’s for a Federal Direct PLUS Loan), you will be notified in the same timeframe but you must also reply to the Financial Aid Office if you wish to accept the post-withdrawal loan obligation. A post-withdrawal disbursement of any funds would first be used toward any outstanding charges before any funds are returned to you.

An Academic Leave of Absence (LOA) is granted to students whose enrollment at UW Oshkosh is interrupted for one semester because of studies abroad or internships. Since these students are considered continuing, the LOA guarantees them an enrollment appointment date/time for registration of the next semester’s classes, consistent with dates assigned “continuing” students. If academic or disciplinary suspension occurs prior to the effective date of the leave of absence, the leave of absence is automatically cancelled.
Eligible students can complete a Leave of Absence application form through the Registrar’s Office.