Withdrawals

Withdrawal From a Single Course

Tuition and fees will not be refunded for single course withdrawals occurring after the last day to add/drop without fee for a semester/term. These dates are listed in the important dates area on the Office of the Registrar webpage. If the student does not wish to continue a course after the add/drop period, the student must withdraw from the course. The student must obtain the instructor’s signature on an Add/Drop/Withdraw Form and submit it to the Office of the Registrar.  Course fees and private music lesson fees are non-refundable.

Full Withdrawal

Notice of withdrawal from the University must be given in writing to the Office of the Registrar. Oral requests are not acceptable. Charges will remain on the student account until written notice is received.

If a student withdraws with an owing balance that balance is due immediately. A Financial Hold will be placed on the account upon notification of withdrawal.

Medical Withdrawal

Students may petition to withdraw completely from the University for a specific term for medical reasons. The student must complete a Medical Withdrawal Petition, provide written evidence from a physician and a personal explanation to the dean of students. The petition and the accompanying materials must be completed and submitted before finals week for the specific term and in no case later than the last day of class in the specific term. If granted, the notation of WM in lieu of grades will appear on the student’s transcript. Physician clearance is required prior to re-enrollment. For more information contact the dean of students at 253.535.7159 or srr@plu.edu.

Refunds
    • Fall & Spring Tuition
      • 100 percent tuition refund prior to the first day of class.
      • Refunds prorated on a daily basis beginning the first day of class until 60 percent of the semester has elapsed.
      • Once 60 percent of the semester has elapsed, there are no tuition refunds.
    • Summer, Fall, J-Term & Spring Course Fees
      • 100 percent refund prior to the first day of class.
      • No refund beginning the first day of class.
    • Summer, Fall, J-Term & Spring Housing and Meal Plans
      • Housing refunds prorated on a daily basis.
      • Meal plan refunds prorated on a weekly basis.
Policies and Procedures Relating to the Return of Title IV and Institutional Financial Aid Funds if a Student Withdraws from the University

The University calculates and returns Title IV funds according to Federal Title IV policy 34CRF 668.22. The amount of Title IV funds (other than Federal Work Study) that must be returned to the Title IV programs is based solely on the length of time the student was enrolled before withdrawing. This policy is effective for complete or full withdrawal from a semester in which a student receives Title IV federal funds. If a student receives a tuition refund due to completely withdrawing from the University all PLU gift funding will be removed from the student’s account.

For Fall and Spring Semester only, if a student withdraws before 60 percent of the semester has elapsed, a percentage of Title IV funds will be returned to the federal program based on the length of time the student was enrolled before withdrawal. After 60 percent of the semester has elapsed, the student is considered to have used all aid received for the semester. The return of Title IV funds is dependent upon the date a student withdraws during the semester. Summer full withdraws are calculated using 60% of the student’s originally intended schedule to determine return of Title IV funding.

Withdrawal date is defined as one of the following:
    • The date the student began the withdrawal process; the date the student otherwise provided the school with official notification of the intent to withdraw; or
    • For the student who does not begin the University’s withdrawal process or notify the school of the intent to withdraw, the midpoint of the payment period or period of enrollment for which Title IV assistance was disbursed (unless the university can document a later date); If attendance is taken, the withdrawal date is determined from the attendance records.
The University will:
    • Determine date of withdrawal
    • Calculate the percentage of aid deemed to have been used by the student
    • Calculate the percentage of aid not used by the student, which must be returned to federal programs.
Order of Return of Title IV Funds

If the withdrawal date results in a percentage of Title IV aid not utilized by the student, then return of Title IV aid will occur in the following order:

    • Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
    • Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans
    • Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loans (other than PLUS loans).
    • Subsidized Direct Stafford loans.
    • Federal Perkins Loans
    • Federal Parent PLUS Loans
    • Federal Direct PLUS Loans
    • Federal Pell Grants
    • Federal SEOG Grants
    • TEACH Grant
    • Iraq Afghanistan Service Grant for which a return is required.
    • Other assistance under this Title for which a return of funds is required
Procedures for Obtaining a Refund Upon Full Withdrawal from the University
    • Student requests withdrawal approval from the Office of the Registrar, using the withdrawal form.
    • Financial Aid processes the student withdrawal request according to the Federal Title IV policy 34CFR 668.22. Aid will be revised according to published federal policy.
    • Office of the Registrar makes a tuition adjustment, if applicable, to the student account for the percentage of tuition allowed to be refunded for that time period during the term (as determined by Office of the Registrar and the University Tuition and Course Fees Refund Policy).
    • Examples of the Return of Title IV Funds if a student withdraws are available in the Office of Student Financial Services.

Note: Please be aware that a tuition refund due to withdrawal from the University can adversely affect what is owed to the University by the student. A tuition adjustment is applied to the student account, but aid is also adjusted, sometimes creating a larger owing balance. Students should check with the Office of  Student Financial Services to determine the effect a withdrawal will have on their student account.