Your financial aid disbursements and refunds are based on your anticipated or currently enrolled courses scheduled for each week in a term. If you fail to begin attendance or engage in your course(s), your instructor may report you as an "instructor no-show." This may significantly impact your financial aid eligibility and any outstanding balance you may owe the institution. This policy addresses the impact of non-attendance on your financial aid separate from the Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) calculation, which applies when you withdraw or drop from all of your courses in a financial aid award period. (Please see the separate Return of Title IV Funds Policy for details regarding the calculation of unearned aid when withdrawing from all courses.)
Consequences of Non-Attendance
If you fail to begin attendance in a course and receive a financial aid disbursement for that course, you will be considered a "no-show" for that course. The following consequences will apply:
- Administrative Drop: You may be administratively dropped from the course.
- Loss of Financial Aid: Your financial aid award may be adjusted based on your enrollment status after the withdrawal. You will be responsible for repaying any unearned portion of your financial aid for that specific course.
- Balance Due: You will be billed for any outstanding tuition and fees resulting from the reduction in financial aid. This may include a portion of tuition for the course(s) you did attend, as well as any other applicable fees.
Definition of Academic Engagement
Your "Last Attended Date" is determined by your most recent instance of academic engagement within a course. Academic engagement is defined as active participation in instructional activities related to your course of study. Such activities include, but are not limited to:
- Attending Instructional Activities: Participating in synchronous or asynchronous classes, lectures, recitations, field activities, or laboratory sessions, where interaction between the instructor and students is facilitated.
Submitting Academic Work: Completing and submitting academic assignments as required.
Taking Assessments: Participating in exams, quizzes, or other formal assessments.
Interactive Learning: Engaging in interactive tutorials, webinars, or other computer-assisted instruction.
Collaborative Learning: Participating in study groups, group projects, or online discussions assigned by the institution.
Instructor Interaction: Communicating with instructors about academic matters.
Important Note: The definition of academic engagement does not include activities where a student may be present but not academically engaged, such as logging into an online class or tutorial without any further participation or participating in a student-organized study group.