what if i drop a course and fall below 12 credits

by Nayeli Rolfson III 6 min read

Students may drop a course without advisor approval. Since the tuition and fee assessment is not set until the end of this three-week period (two weeks in a half-term), a student dropping below 12 credits (six in a half-term) will be assessed a lower tuition charge.

Your financial aid award(s) may be adjusted if your award(s) requires full-time or half-time enrollment and your credits drop below the minimum required. If you are a Federal Pell Grant recipient, the grant may be adjusted; for example, if you drop from 12 to 9 credits, your grant may be prorated.

Full Answer

What happens if my credits drop during the late drop period?

Your financial aid award(s) may be adjusted if your award(s) requires full-time or half-time enrollment and your credits drop below the minimum required. If you are a Federal Pell Grant recipient, the grant may be adjusted; for example, if you drop from 12 …

What happens if I drop a course during the semester?

Check your parents' health insurance rules -- they can drop you from insurance if you fall below 12 credits (this was true before the affordable care act, so you may want to check).

What happens if I drop credits before my financial aid is disbursed?

If you are an L&S student athlete and need to drop below 12 credits, you must speak with your athletic advisor at the Fetzer Center to drop below full-time status during the academic year. NCAA regulations require student athletes to maintain full-time status ( a minimum of 12 credits) during the fall and spring terms.

What happens if I drop below half-time enrollment?

You drop the course(s) that lasts the entire semester after you have completed the course(s) that does not span the entire semester. ... If you are an undergraduate student, your financial aid is based on an enrollment status of 12+ credit hours per semester during the academic year (6+ credit hours for summer terms). ... If you drop below your ...

What happens if you drop a class and go below 12 credits?

What happens if you: Drop below full time status (less than 12 credits per term): Pell Grant: If you drop below full time status before the end of the add/drop period, the amount will be pro-rated. You will receive 3/4 of the award amount for 9-11 credits, or 1/2 of the award for 6-8 credits.

Do I have to pay back financial aid if I drop a class?

Federal regulations require you to repay a portion of financial aid funds if you withdraw from all classes before satisfying the 60 percent completion rule for the enrollment term. (See the current 60 percent dates for the financial aid award year.)

Does dropping a class mess up your financial aid?

Dropping a class with financial aid won't necessarily affect your FAFSA and financial aid award. If you're taking extra classes, for instance, you could probably afford to remove one from your schedule.Jan 28, 2021

Is it better to drop a class or fail?

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.

Can you get financial aid again after dropping out?

You need to make satisfactory academic progress in college or career school in order to keep getting federal student aid. Talk to your school about whether you can appeal the decision that made you ineligible to continue receiving federal student aid.

What happens if I drop a class in college?

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. This means that it won't show up on your transcripts and whatever grade you earned up until that point will disappear from your academic history.

Will dropping a class affect my GPA?

When a student drops a class, it disappears from their schedule. After the “drop/add” period, a student may still have the option to Withdraw. Withdrawal usually means the course remains on the transcript with a “W” as a grade. It does not affect the student's GPA (grade point average).

Does a withdrawal affect GPA?

An unofficial withdrawal impacts both your GPA and your Pace/Completion Rate. It is better to officially withdraw from your class than to stop attending and let yourself get assigned an F-grade.

How does dropping to part time affect financial aid?

Your financial aid award(s) may be adjusted if your award(s) requires full-time or half-time enrollment and your credits drop below the minimum required. If you are a Federal Pell Grant recipient, the grant may be adjusted; for example, if you drop from 12 to 9 credits, your grant may be prorated.

Does a dropped class show up on your transcript?

There will be no mark on your transcript, so colleges won't ever see or know that you dropped the class. If you drop a class early on in the semester, try to add another class in its place so you still have a full schedule and can be sure of meeting the number of credits required for graduation.Jan 17, 2022

How many W's is too many?

As a general rule of thumb, having one “W” should not be too big of a deal. However, if you continue to get them, medical schools will see this as a red flag in your potential to do well at medical school. Myth 2: You should always take a bad grade over a “W.”

Should I drop a class if I'm overwhelmed?

Don't withdraw from classes that are vitally important for your major/minor or enjoy taking, and don't do it to the point where you're taking below twelve credits. Sometimes, students withdraw a class that they're struggling in. Others may need to withdraw if it's hurting their mental health.Feb 24, 2019

About Future Student Aid Eligibility

If you drop below half-time enrollment, you may be ineligible for aid, including loans. Depending on the time during the semester that you drop a c...

If You Drop Credits Before Your Financial Aid Is Disbursed

If you drop credits before all of your aid is disbursed: 1. You will be responsible for the balance of your tuition bill after your aid is adjusted...

What Happens and What to Do If You Late-Drop Credits

Students with Federal Direct or Perkins LoansIf you received a Federal Direct Loan or Federal Perkins Loan and drop below half-time, the grace peri...

What happens if you drop a class?

If you drop below your respective enrollment status during a drop/add period, your financial aid will be adjusted based on the number of credit hours you are enrolled in at end of the drop/add period. If you drop one or more classes after the drop/add window closes but are still enrolled and attending your other courses, ...

What happens if you withdraw from a university?

If you withdraw from the University, you must contact the Registrar's Office to begin the official withdrawal process and establish your withdrawal date. If you stop attending all of your classes, you are required to officially withdraw from the University. If you stop attending all of your classes but fail to complete the official withdrawal ...

How many credit hours does financial aid take?

If you are an undergraduate student, your financial aid is based on an enrollment status of 12 + credit hours per semester during the academic year (6+ credit hours for summer terms). If you are a graduate student, your financial aid is based on an enrollment status of 9+ credit hours per semester during the academic year ...

Do you have to repay 100% of financial aid?

Students who never attended any of their classes and did not complete any coursework are required to repay 100% of the financial aid received for the semester or summer term. Students who stop attending all of their classes are required to officially withdraw from the University.

IF YOU DROP CLASSES BEFORE YOUR Bright Futures IS DISBURSED

If you drop below half-time enrollment before the end of the drop/add period, you may be ineligible for your Bright Futures Award.

IF YOU DROP or Withdraw from Classes AFTER YOUR Bright Futures IS DISBURSED

Your Bright Futures will be billed for the classes dropped or withdrawn after the initial drop/add period.

Bright Futures ELIGIBILITY

You must repay the entire amount owed to Bright Futures in order to renew.

Maintaining half-time enrollment

According to financial aid requirements, you have to maintain at least half-time enrollment at a qualified institution in order to qualify for any financial aid. That includes your federal student loans – both subsidized and unsubsidized.

Re-enrolling before your grace period ends

If you re-enroll in classes to have enough credits to reach half-time enrollment, then your grace period will be reset.

No grace period on PLUS loans

If you have a PLUS loan, there is no grace period. Loan repayment will begin directly after you drop below half-time enrollment. So if you have PLUS loans or your parents took out PLUS loans for your education, there’s a lot less wiggle room than if you have other types of federal loans.

Beware changes in your financial aid award

While one dropped class may not initiate the grace period on your student loan payments, it can definitely affect your life. Any class that is dropped could affect your financial aid award. In other words, you may not be eligible to receive the same level of aid.

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