Change of Hours & Withdrawals Policy
A student’s federal, state, and institutional financial aid and scholarships may be affected by changes in their class schedule or should they decide to withdraw from all classes at Dallas Baptist University (DBU). Students should know in advance how changes in enrollment may affect their financial aid eligibility and are advised to meet with their academic advisor and the financial aid office prior to beginning a change of hours or a complete withdrawal from the university.
Change of Hours
Students can add or drop courses through Student Planning using their MyDBU account or by visiting their academic advisors or the Registrar's Office. Attention should be given to the Add/Drop deadlines as recorded on the Academic Calendar and the limits established by the DBU Cashier’s Office.
Withdrawing from one or more courses during the semester, without complete withdrawal from the college, may have an impact on maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress, affecting both the amount of aid received for the semester and a student’s academic eligibility to continue receiving financial aid for future enrollment.
Withdrawals
Students are responsible for making sure that the official withdrawal form progresses through each step in the withdrawal process, whether the process is conducted in person or through faxes and telephone conversations. Once the withdrawal period has expired, an "F" grade will be assigned for courses not completed. Federal law and university policy dictate that calculated amounts of aid be returned to the respective financial aid programs when a withdrawal occurs, which may mean the loss of part or all federal, state, or institutional aid.
Refunds
A student may receive full or partial credit for a course’s tuition charge if they complete the official add/drop or withdrawal process through the Registrar’s Office. Students who fail to officially withdraw through the Registrar's Office will receive an "F" in each course. Refunds for courses are calculated on the number of class meetings and are based on these percentages: Please see the Cashier’s Refund page for more information.
| Percentage of Class Meeting | Percentage of Tuition Refund* |
|---|---|
| Before the first class meeting | 100% Refund |
| 1% through 5% | 90% Refund |
| >5% through 10% | 80% Refund |
| >10% through 15% | 70% Refund |
| >15% through 25% | 60% Refund |
| Greater than 25% of class meetings | No Refund |
Financial Aid Impact
Title IV Federal financial aid regulations require institutions to calculate how much aid a student has earned if they withdraw or stop attending prior to the completion of a semester. If the withdrawal date is less than 60% of the semester, the student must return a portion of the aid received, which may mean having a balance due to the institution. Priority order for the return of federal funds is unsubsidized Direct loans, subsidized Direct loans, Perkins loans, Direct Plus loans, Pell grants, and FSEOG.
Institutional funds are not subject to the R2T4 policy and will follow DBU guidelines, however, if a student withdraws before financial aid is disbursed/transmitted, DBU performs an R2T4 for Federal Aid and the student is not eligible for any state or institutional aid.
A student who remains enrolled beyond the 60% point is considered to have earned all aid for the semester for which the aid was awarded.
Student loan recipients must complete exit counseling upon withdrawing from the institution or if they drop hours below half-time status.
If a student unofficially withdraws (stops attending) or a student’s academic transcript reflects unsuccessful completion of all courses in a term, DBU will calculate aid based on the latter date from one of the following academic-related activities: 50% completion date of the term or official documented last date of attendance/activity.
Best Practice
Students should always speak to their academic advisors first before adding/dropping courses or withdrawing from a class at DBU and contact the Financial Aid Office at finaid@dbu.edu if they have any change in enrollment that would affect full-time enrollment status. Students needing assistance in calculating their partial tuition should reach out to the Cashier’s Office at cashier@dbu.edu for assistance.