Withdrawals and Reduced Course Loads

Any student who is considering withdrawing from the school or taking a leave of absence is advised to first discuss such a decision with her or his faculty advisor or the Assistant Dean of Academic and Student Affairs.

The impact of a withdrawal to the billing and applicable financial aid is dependent upon the timing of the withdrawal. Tuition refunds are granted through the the first four weeks of a quarter.  These refunds are granted only on the basis of an official withdrawal. Non-attendance does not constitute official withdrawal. All seat deposits are non-refundable. Tuition refunds are granted in accordance with the following schedule:

Financial aid will be adjusted for any withdrawal based upon the withdrawal date and the type of financial aid.

Please note: Because first-year students take classes based on a semester calendar, but are billed quarterly, they may be charged additional tuition depending on the amount of credits completed at the time of the withdrawal.

School of Law funds (Merit, Designated and Public Interest Law Scholarships) will be adjusted at the same percentage as the tuition refunded. For example. If a student withdraws in the second week of the term, 75% of the tuition would be refund. Likewise, the 75% of the school-based funds would be cancelled.

Federal funds (Federal Stafford Loans, Federal Graduate PLUS Loans and Federal Perkins Loans) are subject to the federal government’s Return of Title IV Funds calculation. If a student has attended through the 60% point of the term, all federal funds, for the term, have been "earned" and therefore do not need to be adjusted. If the withdrawal occurs prior to the 60% point, a calculation must be completed to determine what percent of funds have been "earned". Federal Work-Study is not subject to this calculation. However, a student can not work past his/her withdrawal date.

Alternative loan funds may have to be adjusted depending upon a student's total cost of attendance for the year.

Students contemplating a withdrawal should discuss the impact of their specific billing and financial aid with the director of Financial Aid.

Students who fail to register properly for the academic period in which they were anticipated to attend OR fail to properly register with the Office of Cooperative Legal Education for their co-op rotation are automatically considered to have withdrawn from the institution. Financial aid for these periods will automatically be canceled.

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REDUCED COURSE LOADS

Students are expected to register and complete a minimum of 12 credit hours of academic work in each academic quarter. Approval to register for fewer than 12 credit hours requires petition of, and approval by, the Office of the Dean.

Students who are granted the ability to enroll in less than 12 credit hours and who are receiving financial aid would have their aid eligibility reviewed. Minimally, students must be enrolled in a minimum of six credits to be eligible for any financial assistance. Students enrolled in six to 11 credits will have their aid reviewed. School-based funds (Merit, Designated, and Public Interest Scholarships) will be adjusted proportionally to the enrollment/tuition assessed. Federal funds may be adjusted to ensure that a student does not exceed his/her student expense budget.

A student contemplating a reduced course load should discuss the impact on their financial aid with the director of Financial Aid.