Return of Title IV Funds Policy

Withdrawing from Classes and Returning Financial Aid (Title IV funds)

If you must withdraw from all of your classes, you should contact the Financial Aid Office and your academic advisor before withdrawing to make sure you understand the financial and academic consequences of your decision. The Financial Aid Office advisors will explain the policies described on this page and how they will apply to your situation.

Return of Title IV Funds

The federal government mandates that students who withdraw from all their classes may only keep the federal financial aid (Title IV funds) they have “earned” up to the time of withdrawal. Title IV funds that have been disbursed in excess of the earned amount must be returned by the college and/or the student to the federal government. Thus, you could owe aid funds to the college, the federal government, or both if you withdraw from or receive failing grades in all of your courses. The amount of aid which you might be subject to repay is determined by regulations as set in Section 484B of the Higher Education Act, which also specifies the order of return of the Title IV Funds to the programs from which they were awarded.

Calculating Earned Financial Aid

The amount of earned financial aid is calculated on a daily basis beginning the first day of classes. The process uses calendar days rather than business days. Earned aid is determined by taking the number of days attended before withdrawing divided by the total number of days in the term (first day of instruction until the last day of finals excluding breaks of five or more days of no academic activity).

For students who withdraw from classes after the 60% point-in-time, there are no unearned funds. However, NNMC must still complete a return calculation in order to determine whether the student is eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement.

Should the calculation result in a credit balance on the students account NNMC will provide that to the student with 14 days.

Financial Aid Links

Determination of Withdrawal Date

The withdrawal date used in the return calculation of a student’s federal financial aid is the actual date indicated on the official “withdrawal from last class” form. If a student stops attending classes without notifying NNMC, (unofficial withdrawal) the withdrawal date will be the midpoint of the semester or the last date of academic activity determined by NNMC. Additional documentation supporting the last date of academic activity may be provided by the student if they verify a later date of attendance than determined by NNMC.

For students who withdraw from classes prior to census date (15 days from beginning of term) NNMC must still complete a return calculation in order to determine whether the student is eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement.Once eligibility of a post-withdrawal disbursement is determined, any Title IV Grants will be applied to the students account with in 45 days. If the student is eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement of any Title IV Loans NNMC will within 30 days, notify the student. The student will then have 14 days to respond if they will accept the loan in writing. No loan funds can be disbursed without the borrower’s specific written permission.

EXAMPLE of Return of Title IV Funds Calculations

STEPS	CALCULATIONS	RESULT
STEP 1	Federal Pell Grant: Federal SEOG: Total Aid:	$2,775 $600 $3,375
STEP 2	Percentage of Title IV Federal Aid Earned from August 22 to September 26 (date of withdrawal) = 36 days/117 days in term = 30.8% of the term	30.8%
STEP 3	Total amount of Title IV Federal Aid earned: $3,375 x .308 = $1,039.50	$1,039.50
STEP 4	Total amount of Title IV Federal Aid earned: $3,375 - $1,039.50 = $2,335.50	$2,335.50
STEP 5	Amount of unearned Title IV to be returned by the College. Note: Total institutional tuition & fees must be used in calculation: $1,914.31 x .692 (100% – 30.8% = 69.2% unearned) = $1,325	Pell Grant $1,325
STEP 6	Amount Charged back to student's account (i.e. amount student owes)	$1,325

FROM THE EXAMPLE ABOVE: The amount of $1,325 must be paid in full to Northern New Mexico College before the student can register for future courses. The amount cannot be charged to future financial aid disbursements.

Any refund or repayment obligation will be outlined clearly for the student in writing. If it is determined that the student owes a repayment to the US Department of Education, the student will have 45 days to enter into repayment with NNMC or the student will be referred to the US Department of Education.

Any funds that must be returned to Title IV programs will be returned within 45 days of the determination that a student has withdrawn from classes.

Funds must be returned to Title IV programs in the following order:

Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loan
Federal Subsidized Direct Loan
Federal Direct PLUS Loan
Federal Pell Grant
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
Federal Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
Other Federal and State Programs

Tuition Refund Policy

Northern has a tuition refund policy that stipulates the amount of tuition and fees that are refunded to a student who withdraws from all classes during a term. The Registrar’s Office determines specific refund dates each term and publishes them on the Academic Calendar (once on this site, choose the appropriate academic term). You can also find detailed refund policy information in the current Academic Catalog.

Last updated on 5/2023