what happens if i drop a course and end up as a part-time student gi bill

by Dr. Carter Hickle Sr. 7 min read

If you drop to part-time student status, you might have to pay your GI Bill benefits back. This scenario is especially true if your GI Bill is Post-9/11. However, remember, dropping a class might still be the best decision to maintain your GPA or avoid academic probation, even if you have to pay back some funds.

If you withdraw during the school's drop/add period (generally the first 30 days of a term) the VA will reduce your training time (and any payment as described above) on the date of your withdrawal. This may or may not result in an overpayment.

Full Answer

What happens if you drop a class while on the GI Bill?

If you drop to part-time student status, you might have to pay your GI Bill benefits back. This scenario is especially true if your GI Bill is Post-9/11. However, remember, dropping a class might still be the best decision to maintain your GPA or avoid academic probation, even if you have to pay back some funds.

Do I have to pay back my GI Bill if I fail?

No, you do not have to pay back the GI Bill if you fail a class as long as you stay in and attend the class through the end of the semester. Do I have to pay back my GI bill if I drop a class?

How do I know if my college accepts my GI Bill?

If you have the GI Bill benefits, you work with your school to verify your benefits. Colleges have a School Certifying Official (SCO) that represents the school and has the training to certify enrollment with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

What happens to my benefits if I drop classes?

Classes dropped during the "drop period" (based on the catalog deadline dates) do not count toward the "training time" requirements of the DVA - whether or not a refund of tuition was given. This can affect your benefits.

Do you have to pay back GI Bill if you drop a class?

No. If you finished the class, you won't have to pay back the GI Bill benefits you used for that class. This is because we count a failing grade (or “punitive grade”) as progress toward graduation requirements even though you don't get any credit for it.

Can I take a break from college GI Bill?

No Break Pay Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, students must be enrolled year-round to receive an entire year's worth of benefits. If students opt to take a break, the benefits will stop until they're back in school. As far as charges against the benefit, students will only be charged for the time they're in school.

Do I have to pay back GI Bill?

Normally if you drop a class you will have to pay back any GI Bill money you received for that class to the VA. This includes your tuition & fee payment (even though it was paid to the school - not you), your Monthly Housing Allowance, your book stipend, and any kicker or college fund money you received.

Can you drop a course and take it later?

However, if you miss this deadline, your transcript will show that you withdrew from the course, even if you sign up for a new course in its place. If you drop a class and later decide to retake it, you will have to retake the entire course, no matter how far along the course was when you dropped it.

What if my GI Bill runs out mid semester?

According to the VA rules, once you run out of GI Bill benefits, they will continue to pay you through to the end of the semester.

How does the Post-9/11 GI Bill work for part time students?

Here is the quick answer: Yes, you can use your GI Bill benefits for part-time studies. The GI Bill education benefits can be used when pursuing higher education at a public or private school, whether one is studying full-time or part-time.

What happens if you fail a class with tuition assistance?

You will be required to reimburse the U.S. Treasury the full amount of your TA funded if you receive a failing grade or a non-passing (N) grade or if you fail to clear an incomplete (I) grade within 6 months of the original course completion date.

How does an incomplete affect GI Bill?

What happens if I fail or drop a course? Failing a course will not affect your GI Bill benefits; however, withdrawing or receiving an incomplete grade for a course may affect your benefits. As long as you receive a grade (pass or fail), the VA will not ask for money back.

How do I get full BAH for GI Bill?

A full-time student taking at least one classroom course will get the full BAH rate based on the school's ZIP code.

Will I lose my student loan if I drop a class?

In most cases, one dropped class won't affect your student loans. However, there's a certain course load you have to meet if you don't want the monthly payments to start on your student loans.

What happens if I drop from fulltime to part-time student OSAP?

It's true: if you drop below OSAP's minimum full-time course load, your OSAP funding is impacted immediately. OSAP considers students with less than a 60% course load (or less than 1.5 credits per term) as part-time students. (Remember, OSAP and Laurier have different definitions of full- and part-time students).

Is dropping a class worse than failing?

Croskey notes that dropping a class is better than withdrawing, but withdrawing is better than failing. “A failing grade will lower the student's GPA, which may prevent a student from participating in a particular major that has a GPA requirement,” Croskey says.

What happens if you withdraw from school after the drop period?

If you withdraw after the school's drop/add period the VA will reduce your training time on the beginning date of the term. This will usually result in an overpayment which can be quite large.

What happens if you drop a class because of a valid reason?

So, if you have to drop a class because of a valid reason, the VA will possibly pay you through your drop date. Remember, the VA keeps all your information on file and they are stewards of public funds.

How many hours can you withdraw from a VA class?

The VA realizes that sometimes you need to drop a class and for this reason they have something called "the six credit hour exclusion". Basically, your first withdrawal (up to six credit hours) is excused. The VA will adjust your training time on the date of withdrawal, not all the way back to the start of the term. This can only be used once, and you can't combine two 3 hour withdrawals to game the system. If you drop 3 hours and get the exclusion it is gone forever.

What is the VA's mitigating circumstance?

The VA calls these things "mitigating circumstances", in fact they list several on their website: An illness or injury afflicting the student during the enrollment period.

What is an unavoidable change in the student's conditions of employment?

An unavoidable change in the student’s conditions of employment. An unavoidable geographical transfer resulting from the student’s employment. Immediate family or financial obligations beyond the control of the claimant that require him or her to suspend pursuit of the program of education to obtain employment.

What happens if you withdraw from a VA school?

If you withdraw during the school's drop/add period (generally the first 30 days of a term), and dropping a class changes your training time, the VA will reduce your training time and any make the pay adjustment effective on the date of your withdrawal. This may or may not result in an overpayment.

Can you get overpaid for failing classes?

You can avoid being overpaid by going to all your classes and get straight A's, but if this isn't going to happen there is one trick to remember. If you are failing a class miserably, just keep taking it and finish it with a failing grade. The VA will pay you to take that class again, if it is needed for graduation.

What does it mean to drop a course?

Dropping a Course. Withdrawing from a Course. "Dropping" a course means you dropped it before the end of the drop/add period. A student "withdraws" from a course after the end of the drop/add period. Credit hours for dropped courses are not included in your hours of enrollment for financial aid. Generally results in a grade of W, WP, or WF.

Does withdrawing from UGA affect financial aid?

Withdrawing from all courses can affect a student's financial aid eligibility as cited under the preceding topic. In addition, when a student withdraws or is withdrawn from all his or her courses prior to completing more than 60 percent of the term, federal financial aid regulations generally require the student to repay a portion of the federal student aid received during the term. The amount of any required aid repayment is calculated by UGA Student Accounts according to the federally prescribed formula.

What happens if you drop a course?

Generally, dropping a course during the first week of a term entitles you to a full refund of tuition for the dropped course . The DVA considers this first week of the term to be the "drop period.".

Does dropping classes count toward training time?

Classes dropped during the "drop period" (based on the catalog deadline dates) do not count toward the "training time" requirements of the DVA - whether or not a refund of tuition was given. This can affect your benefits.

What happens if you withdraw from school after the drop period?

If you withdraw after the school's drop/add period the VA will reduce your training time on the beginning date of the term. This will usually result in an overpayment which can be quite large.

How many hours can you withdraw from a VA class?

The VA realizes that sometimes you need to drop a class and for this reason they have something called "the six credit hour exclusion". Basically, your first withdrawal (up to six credit hours) is excused. The VA will adjust your training time on the date of withdrawal, not all the way back to the start of the term. This can only be used once, and you can't combine two 3 hour withdrawals to game the system. If you drop 3 hours and get the exclusion it is gone forever.

How long does it take for VA to reduce training?

If you withdraw during the school's drop/add period (generally the first 30 days of a term) the VA will reduce your training time (and any payment as described above) on the date of your withdrawal. This may or may not result in an overpayment.

What happens if you drop a class and lose out on financial aid?

Therefore, if you drop a class and lose out on those credits, you’ll want to make sure that your financial assistance remains unaffected.

What happens if you drop a class after the drop deadline?

If you choose to drop a class after the drop deadline, it is considered “withdrawing” from a class. When you withdraw from a class, instead of having a grade on your transcript, it will be marked with a “W,” and according to the school policy, you may not get your money back that you had paid to enroll.

What does it mean to drop a class?

Essentially, it means unenrolling in a course by a certain deadline date. Most colleges will give you specific deadlines to both add and drop classes. When you drop a class before the drop deadline, it’s as if it never happened.

What to do if you drop a class because of a professor?

If you are dropping the class because of the professor, first make sure that there will be other options for professors, otherwise, you will find yourself in the same situation just further down the line. 2.

What to do if you drop a class because you don't want to try?

As mentioned above, if you are dropping the class because you don’t want to try, then you should pause and reconsider. College, like life, will offer its fair share of challenges, but it is through such challenges that you grow and learn.

Is it better to drop a class or not?

But, the truth is, it’s not so simple! Depending on your specific situation, dropping a class may be a good solution for you. But before you do so, you should ensure that you understand why you want to give up on the class, as well as the repercussions for doing so. Also, dropping a class may not really be the right solution if you need ...

Is dropping a class good?

Why Dropping a Class May Be Good. Of course, “good” and “bad” are subjective and situational, but in some instances, dropping a class is considered better than staying. For example, if you are going to fail or get a “D,” it’s probably better to unenroll. Additionally, if the class is causing you physical or emotional stress ...

What are the benefits of GI Bill?

One of the many benefits afforded to service members is access to the GI Bill to help pay for tuition costs. However, many student veterans wonder what happens with the GI Bill if failing a class. Grades are a common worry because life has a way of getting in the way of academic progress.

What does it mean to be certified for GI Bill?

What does is it mean to become certified for my GI Bill? If you have the GI Bill benefits, you work with your school to verify your benefits. Colleges have a School Certifying Official (SCO) that represents the school and has the training to certify enrollment with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

What to do if you have a rough semester?

You might decide to retake the class to better your overall GPA. If your academic standing is in rough shape, you want to talk to your academic advisor to avoid academic probation.

What is punitive grade?

A punitive grade is a grade you earn from earning a grade too low to count towards your degree requirements. Therefore, the grade is a negative reflection of the work you put into the course. However, you can retake the class to earn a higher grade to meet the expectations of your degree plan.

How many credits are required to be a full time student?

Typically, for an undergrad, full-time is 12 credits. Twelve credits are four classes, so if you drop one, you lose your full-time status. However, if you are taking 15 credits and drop one class, you are still a full-time student. If you drop to part-time student status, you might have to pay your GI Bill benefits back.

Do you lose your GI bill if you fail a class?

You will not lose your benefits if you fail a class. Also, you will not have to repay the portion of the GI Bill if you stay in the class until the end of the semester. You have resources if you find you are in a challenging class. For instance, you have access to a tutor through your VA Benefits.

Can you fail a class and still get GI Bill?

Despite struggling with a class and the anxiety that follows, you can fail a class and still maintain your GI Bill benefits. However, there are a few decisions to make and conversations with the administration to help you decide the next steps.

image