5.16.2 Withdrawing From the University On or After the First Day of Class

All students are advised to meet in person with a manager or director in the enrollment services area prior to actually withdrawing from the University to make certain they understand the associated financial and financial aid implications.

Student schedules (and the associated financial and financial aid implications) are considered somewhat fluid through the close of business on the final day of the drop/add period of a given session. If, after the close of business on the final day of the drop/add period, a student remains registered for one or more courses, then the student will receive an updated statement of account that will reflect the program (TU or ADP) in which he/she/they is enrolled and which will also reflect any other germane factors. For TU students enrolled for a fall or spring semester, for instance, such factors would include whether the student is full- or part-time, whether or not there is an overload in hours, whether or not the student lives on-campus, whether or not (and to what extent) the student’s bill is to be offset by federal, state and/or institutional financial aid, and so on.

Any student who remains registered for one or more classes after the start of business on the “first day of classes” (FDOC) for the session in question and as determined by the University’s official academic calendar will not be eligible for a refund of any fees, even if the student withdraws from the University for any reason later the same session. Additionally, there is no refund associated with withdrawing from individual courses past this point, nor is there any refund for students who simply stop attending Oglethorpe and never officially withdraw from the University.

If a student withdraws from the University after the start of business on the FDOC, a refund or offset of tuition charges (not fees, which are not refundable at this stage) is determined by the “official withdrawal date” (OWD) and the Tuition Percentage Refund Schedule (see below). The OWD is the date on which the student (or his/her/their representative) files the official withdrawal from the University form (fully endorsed by all required parties) with enrollment services. The Tuition Percentage Refund Schedule is as follows:

Academic TermTuition Percentage Not Eligible for Refund
Fall or Spring Full Session10% for each week or fraction thereof elapsed from the FDOC to the OWD
All Other Sessions25% for each week or fraction thereof elapsed from the FDOC to the OWD

*A Monday through Friday period is considered one complete week for purposes of this table.

Students receiving government grants or loans who withdraw during an academic term will be subject to the refunding of all or a portion of these grants and loans according to the regulations applicable to the particular government aid program. Students receiving institutional aid who withdraw during an academic term will retain their institutional aid at the same rate as their Tuition Percentage Not Eligible for Refund. The refunded financial aid is returned to its source, not to the student. The calculations associated with this process are complex and all students are advised to meet in person with a manager or director in the enrollment services area prior to actually withdrawing from the University to make certain they understand the associated financial and financial aid implications.

Residential students who withdraw from the University will receive a refund of room and board charges which have already been billed, less a charge for room and board that takes into account the daily rate for such services in combination with the actual number of days the student resided on-campus prior to the end of their residential occupancy at the University. Additionally, the contract a residential student signed with the office of residence life may stipulate a penalty for early termination; any such fee will be added to the student’s account.

Students should be particularly mindful of the following:

  • The date that will be used for calculation of a potential refund due to withdrawing from the University (referred to herein as the “official withdrawal date” or OWD) will be the date on which enrollment services receives the official form signed by all required parties. An arrangement with a professor or an advisor will not be recognized as an official change of any sort.
  • Any student who has registered and decides not to attend must officially withdraw from the University. Simply not showing up, or ceasing to show up, is not the same as withdrawing from the University.
  • Fees are only refundable for those who withdraw from the University prior to the start of business on the FDOC.
  • In no case is a student eligible for any tuition or fees refund whatsoever if:
    • The student fails to formally withdraw from the University; or
    • The student is expelled for disciplinary reasons; or
    • The student withdraws from the University when a disciplinary action (code of student conduct violation or honor code violation) is pending; or
    • The student withdraws from a class or classes, but does not totally withdraw from the University.
  • Issuance of credit for room and board is governed as outlined above.