Students’ enrollment status for financial aid purposes is based on courses in which they are registered at the close of business on the 7th calendar day after the start date of the semester, inclusively. Courses added after this day will not be considered for NYS or federal aid (see Academic Calendars).
For Summer, in which there are multiple sessions, the enrollment status is based on the registration status at the close of business on the latest day of all the tuition refund periods, regardless the session(s) in which a student is enrolled.
Students can receive New York State and federal aid only for qualifying courses in which they attend class. Students must repay aid paid for any course in which there was no attendance.
Generally speaking, what are the different levels of enrollment for financial aid purposes?
Financial aid eligibility and award amounts are based on four different levels of enrollment:
- Full-time: enrollment in 12 or more equated credits (including remedial courses)
- Three-quarter time: enrollment in 9 to 11 equated credits
- Half-time: enrollment in 6 to 8 equated credits
- Quarter-time (or less-than-half-time): enrollment in 1 to 5 equated credits
Students continue to add and drop classes, even to initiate registration, after the semester begins. When is the financial aid enrollment status determined?
Student’s enrollment status for financial aid purposes will be based on that student’s credit load (including equated credits) as of the close of business the 7th calendar day after the semester start date, inclusively. For example, in the Fall 2024 term this day will be Tuesday, September 3, counting August 28th, which is the first day of classes.
The financial aid enrollment status will be set on the 7th calendar after the start date of the semester. What if a student adds a class on the 8th day?
A student who adds a class after the 7th calendar day of the term will not receive aid for that class, even if the student was given permission and/or an over-tally to add the course. However, when the additional credits would not change the student’s enrollment status (full-time, three-quarter time etc.) then adding the class after the 7th calendar day of the term would have no impact on the student’s financial aid status.
However, adding the class with permission after the 7th calendar day might leave the student with the same amount of aid and yet produce a higher bill for the student: for instance, adding a 1-credit lab, when the student already had 9 credits. Is that correct?
That is correct. In the case of going from 9 credits to 10 credits, the student would remain three-quarter time for financial aid purposes, but the tuition and fees bill would be higher.
Hypothetically, what if a student did add a class on the 8th calendar day? What if this student did go from being registered for 9 credits to being registered for 12 credits?
The student would not receive financial aid for the 3 credits added on the 8th calendar day. The student would be considered to be three-quarter time for financial aid purposes. However, the student would be full-time in the College’s official enrollment records.
Does a student receive a grade of W in a course, if he/she drops that course after the 7th calendar day of the term?
Only if the student withdraws from the course during the official Withdrawal Period. For example, in Fall 2024 the withdrawal period begins September 18, which is the day after the last day for a tuition refund. This period is clearly indicated on the Academic Calendar for each term.
What happens if the student drops a course between the 8th calendar day of the term and the start of the official Withdrawal Period?
The student receives a grade of WD in the course.
What does WD grade mean? What effect does it have on the student?
The WD is a non-penalty grade, which means it does not impact a student’s GPA. However, it does count toward the total number of credits for which a student can receive Federal Aid in his or her degree.
Title IV Refund Calculation (Federal Aid)
Title IV aid recipients who withdraw from school officially or unofficially during the semester may have their eligibility recalculated. Some of the funds disbursed may have to be repaid, or pending disbursements may have to be adjusted. These “return of funds” regulations apply only if you withdraw before the 60% period of the semester (see academic calendar). More details can be found at Withdrawing and Financial Aid Eligibility.
The Order of Return is as below:
- Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans
- Subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans
- Federal Direct PLUS Loans
- Federal Pell Grants
- Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants
- FSEOG
- TEACH Grants