Withdrawal or Leave of Absence
If you are thinking about leaving Albion College in the middle of the semester, whether on a leave of absence or fully withdrawing, it’s important to understand the financial implications before you make the decision. We highly recommend reaching out to the Financial Aid Office before beginning the withdrawal process so we can help explain how this will impact you.
Withdrawing or taking a leave of absence may affect the timeline on repayment of your college loans. Your leave of absence classification is an Albion College policy but does not meet the criteria for one through the Department of Education. Any leave of absence is treated as a withdrawal for federal aid purposes. Your federal loans will go into repayment six months after you graduate, leave school completely, or enroll less than half time (1.5 units).
You should reach out to the Cutler Center for Student Success if you’re considering a leave of absence or withdrawal from the College or consult the policy in the online Academic Catalog.
Types of Withdrawals
Official Withdrawal/Leave of Absence
To officially withdraw from Albion College during a semester (i.e. withdrawing after enrollment has started at the beginning of a semester and before the completion of final exams) should initiate the withdrawal process by contacting the Cutler Center for Student Success (cutler@albion.edu).
Similarly, students who choose to do a leave of absence during a semester should also contact the Cutler Center for Student Success. Please note a leave of absence from Albion College is considered a withdrawal for the purposes of the Department of Education and students are subject to the Return of Title IV funds (R2T4) process and refund policy. There may be implications for loan repayment.
We highly recommend students considering withdrawing or doing a leave of absence meet with the Financial Aid office before leaving to fully understand the financial implications.
Unofficial Withdrawal
A student who ceases attendance at Albion without notifying the College is considered an unofficial withdrawal.
If the student failed all classes because they stopped attending at some point in the semester, then a R2T4 calculation is required based on the last documented date of attendance. If a last date of attendance cannot be determined, the 50% of the term will be used as the withdrawal date. However if a student “earned” at least one of their failing grades (i.e. they participated in class until the end of the semester and received a failing grade for poor performance) then no calculation is required.
Albion College will determine a student’s withdrawal date by one of the following means:
- The date the student begin the official withdrawal process; or
- The date the student ceased academic engagement without providing official notification
For an official withdrawal, the effective withdrawal date is the first day a student notifies the Cutler Center for Student Success or other designated office of their intent to withdraw.
For an unofficial withdrawal due to the student not successfully completing at least one class, the effective withdrawal date could be the last date of documented academically related activity, or the midpoint of the semester, whichever the Student Development office determines best reflects the student’s term enrollment.
Active engagement includes, but is not limited to –
- Attending a synchronous class, lecture, recitation, or field or laboratory activity, physically or online, where there is an opportunity for interaction between the instructor and students;
- Submitting an academic assignment;
- Taking an assessment or an exam;
- Participating in an interactive tutorial, webinar, or other interactive computer-assisted instruction;
- Participating in a study group, group project, or an online discussion that is assigned by the institution; or
- Interacting with an instructor about academic matters.
Academic engagement does not include, for example –
- Living in institutional housing;
- Participating in the institution’s meal plan;
- Logging into an online class or tutorial without any further participation; or
- Participating in academic counseling or advisement
We may use a last date of attendance for the effective withdrawal date if there is an emergency situation and there is third-party documentation that verifies when a student stopped attending class.
Albion College does not accept a student’s self-reported last date of attendance to complete the R2T4 calculation.
The withdrawal date is also the last date students may work in a work-study position.
Refund Policies
Albion College Aid
Students who do withdraw from the College in the middle of the semester are subject to the Albion refund policy. Your refund will be determined by the week of the semester you withdraw. Consult the refund policy for additional details.
If you are eligible for a tuition refund, your Albion College scholarships and grants will be adjusted by the same percentage. Living expenses (housing and meals) that are billed by the College are pro-rated based on your withdrawal date.
State Grants
Students receiving a Michigan need-based grant such as the Michigan Tuition Grant or Michigan Achievement Scholarship are eligible to keep the full amount of the grant as long as there are sufficient tuition charges to warrant keeping the grant funds.
Federal Aid
The federal withdrawal policy is applied to all federal financial aid (Pell, TEACH and SEOG grants, Direct and PLUS loans). Federal law requires federal aid recipients to “earn” most of the aid they receive by staying enrolled in college at least half-time.
Students who withdraw prior to completing 60 percent of the semester for which they received federal student aid may be required to return some of the aid they were awarded. Review the Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) policy for additional information.