Withdrawing & Financial Aid

The Higher Education Amendments of 1998 (HEA98) presents a major shift in the requirements for returning Title IV Federal Financial Aid when a student withdraws from the university. This policy governs all Federal grant and loan programs (PELL, SEOG, Stafford Loans, Perkins and PLUS loans), but does not include the Federal Work Study programs. The effect of this policy is to separate the Institute's Tuition Refund Policy and the calculation of earned financial aid. Because this is a much more complicated process and may leave the student with an immediate obligation to the U.S. Department of Education, all students are advised to consult the Student Finance office before withdrawing.

In general, the new law assumes that a student "earns" Federal Financial Aid awards in proportion to the number of days completed in the term prior to the student's complete withdrawal. If a student completely withdraws from school during a term, DeVry must calculate, according to a specific formula, the portion of the scheduled Title IV financial assistance that the student has earned and is therefore entitled to retain, until the time that the student withdrew. If a student receives (or DeVry receives on the student's behalf) more assistance than he or she earns, the unearned funds must be returned to the Department of Education or to the Federal Stafford or parent's Federal PLUS loan lenders. If a student's charges are less than the amount earned, and a refund is due, the student may be able to receive those additional funds. Students who have not completed the verification process are ineligible to receive any financial aid.

The portion of the Federal grants and loans that the student is entitled to receive is calculated on a percentage basis by comparing the total number of days in the semester to the number of days that the student completed before he or she withdrew. For example, if the student completes 30% of the semester, he or she earns 30% of the approved Federal aid that was originally scheduled for disbursement in the term. This means that 70% of the student's scheduled or disbursed aid remains unearned and must be returned to the Federal Programs. In the past the previous Federal and Pro Rata Withdrawal Policies determined the amount of federal funds that must be returned, and DeVry was required to reduce the student's charges by the same amount. The new policy governs the earned and unearned portions of the student's Federal Title IV Financial Aid only. It determines how much, if any, the student and DeVry may need to return. This policy does not affect the student's charges. In many cases, the amount of unearned aid will exceed the amount of the tuition refund. In these cases, the resulting transactions will leave the student with a balance due to DeVry. The student is responsible for paying any remaining charges on their DeVry Educard account.

The student's official withdrawal date will be determined by using the earlier of 1) the date the student began the official withdrawal process (the date that the student officially notified the Registrar of his or her intent to withdraw); or 2) the student's last date of attendance at an academically-related activity.

Any grant funds that the student is required to return to the federal programs are considered an overpayment. The student must either repay the amount in full or make satisfactory payment arrangements with the Department of Education to repay the amount. If the student fails to repay, or make payment arrangements, to repay the overpayment the student will lose his or her eligibility to receive future federal financial aid at any institution.

Tuition Refund Policy

In compliance with federal and state requirements, DeVry issues refunds to student who withdraw prior to completing a term. Refund calculations are based on week of withdrawal and term of attendance, according to DeVry policy, the policy of the state in which the student's institute is located and the policy of the student's original state of residence. Of the amounts calculated, the one most favorable to the student is the refund issued. In all cases, policies are applied to tuition charged for the semester. Examples of refund calculations are available in the Student Finance Office.

Refunds are calculated according to the last documented date of attendance and issued within 30 days of the withdrawal notification date or the date the institute determines the student is no longer enrolled, whichever is earlier.

DeVry Policy

At a minimum, refunds are calculated as follows:

* The administrative fee is 5% of the tuition charges for the applicable period of enrollment or $150, whichever is less.

All Other States Policy

Students whose original state of residence is Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin or Wyoming should refer to their enrollment agreement addendum for their state's minimum refund policy. In cases where the policy of one of these states differs from the refunds shown in the preceding charts, students receive the most favorable refund. For students from all other states, the refund is calculated according to the DeVry policy as well as according to the policy of the state in which the student's institution is located. The student will receive the most favorable refund.