Student Refund Policy

A major difference between public and private institutions is the degree to which they are subsidized by taxpayers. Tuition and fees account for more than three-quarters of the operating budget for Gustavus Adolphus College. The remainder is supplied through gifts to the College and income from the endowment. Thus, tuition and fees play an important role in maintaining the quality of a Gustavus Education.

The Gustavus Refund Policy and Return Of Federal Title IV Funds Policy 2010-20011

The Gustavus Refund Policy

For either semester and regardless of whether a student is a recipient of Federal financial aid, the following credits will be applied to the student’s account upon withdrawal for any reason:

Tuition—if the date of withdrawal is:

Before the first day of classes

  • 100% credit less $500

For students in their first semester of attendance at Gustavus, after attending at least one class, but before the end of the 60% point in the term (see dates below)

  • 35% credit 

For all other students, after attending at least one class but before the end of the
twentieth day of classes

  • 35% credit

Room: The entire room fee is non-refundable after classes have begun.  The College’s expenses related to the operation of the residence halls do not decline substantially when a student withdraws. 

Meal Plan: The meal fee will be divided by the number of weeks in the term (usually 15) to determine a per week amount.  Then the per-week amount will be multiplied by the number of weeks remaining in the term as of the date of withdrawal.  This result will then be multiplied by a food cost factor of 35% to determine the actual credit.  The fixed costs involved with operating the dining service do not decline substantially when a student is no longer enrolled. 

Technology Fee, Student Government Fee, Transcript Fee, and Other Student Fees: These fees are non-refundable after classes have begun.

No refund or credit of any charges will be made to a student who is suspended or dismissed from the College for any reason on or after the first day of classes in a semester.

Important Dates For Both Fall And Spring Semesters 2010-2011:

First day of classes: September 7 and February 7
Twentieth Class Day: October 6 and March 5
60% Point of Term November 5 and April 15

Withdrawal Process: The withdrawal process begins the day a student informs the Office of the Registrar of intent to withdraw or the day a student requests a medical leave of absence or standard withdrawal from the Dean of Students or his designee. The Office of the Registrar or the Dean of Students provides the student with a Withdrawal Request Form. The student is asked to visit a series of offices including the Financial Aid Office and Student Accounts to obtain signatures and to complete exit interviews, etc.  The student is also asked to complete a questionnaire regarding his/her experiences at Gustavus.  Once the Withdrawal Request Form and exit questionnaire are completed, the student returns the forms to the Office of the Registrar.

If a student is not able to complete the official withdrawal process as described above, then the student must, at a minimum, provide notice to either the Office of the Registrar or the Dean of Students of an intent to withdrawal from the College.  The notification may be in writing, by phone, by e-mail, or in person.

Medical Withdrawal: When health reasons force a withdrawal from the College before the end of the term, the effected student may apply to the Dean of Students for a medical leave of absence.  The leave can be granted only with proper medical documentation.  Likewise, suitable medical documentation must accompany the student’s request to the Dean of Students to resume enrollment.  Students who are granted permission to withdraw for medical reasons will receive grades of “W” indicating withdrawal for the semester.  Upon re-enrollment within one calendar year, students on medical leave will be charged 90% tuition for the semester during which they resume enrollment. 

Gustavus offers an optional insurance plan through a private insurance company that can provide up to a 60% or 100% refund of all tuition, room, and meal expenses for withdrawals due to mental or physical illness, respectively.  Information is mailed each summer to all full-time students.  The Dean of Students is the College official who is authorized to recommend claim requests to the company based upon certification received from the student’s healthcare professional and other information.  Any student receiving such a benefit must notify the Financial Aid Office.  This funding could impact eligibility for state, federal and institutional financial aid.

Return Of Federal Title IV Funds Policy Summary, 2010-2011

Students who receive Federal Title IV financial assistance are subject to this policy.  The types of assistance included under this policy are the Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, ACG, SMART, TEACH, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loans, and the Federal Direct PLUS Loan.

A student who withdraws after the 60% point of a semester is entitled to retain all Federal Title IV aid for that semester.  However, if the student withdraws prior to the 60% point of the term, unearned Title IV funds as determined by the Federal policy must be returned to the various programs.  These funds must be returned even if the College provides no financial credit to the student.  This means the student could owe the College and/or the U.S. Department of Education a significant amount of money.

Title IV financial aid is earned by the calendar—not class—day.  This includes weekends, holidays, and breaks of less than five consecutive days.  The College is required to determine the amount of Title IV aid the withdrawing student has earned and then either disburse any additional funds the student may be entitled to up to the amount earned or return funds in excess of the amount earned which the student has already received.  If an amount to be returned to a Federal program is determined, then a further calculation is made to determine how much of the amount needs to be returned by the College and how much, if any, needs to returned by the student.  The amount to be returned is distributed in a specified order—Federal Direct Loan-Unsubsidized, Federal Direct Loan-Subsidized, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Direct PLUS Loan, Federal Pell Grant, and then Federal SEOG.  Any grant amount that is to be returned by the student will be reduced by 50% under the regulations.  This provision does not apply to grant funds that must be returned by the College.  The College has specified timeframes within which to disburse additional funds, return excess funds, and to contact and advise the student of what is occurring and of any needed actions on the student’s part.

Due to the complexity of these polices, the College strongly encourages students and parents to consult with the Financial Aid Office and the Student Accounts Office to determine the financial impact of withdrawing before making a final decision.

Related Topics

Eligibility and Appeals—The Vice President for Finance is the institutional officer responsible for determining a student’s eligibility for a credit or refund.  This officer is also the person to whom appeals concerning special individual circumstances should be made.

January Term Credits/Refunds—Students who enroll for the academic year but elect to omit January Term are not eligible for a credit or refund for the Term.  Students who attend Gustavus for fall semester only, fall semester and January Term only, January Term and spring semester only, or spring semester only will be charged one half of the annual tuition, room, and meal fee.

Release of Transcripts—Official academic transcripts will be released after all outstanding College account balances have been paid in full.  This includes all amounts owed on the general student account in the Finance Office as well as outstanding amounts in the Telecommunications Office, Dean of Students Office, the BookMark, Office of Safety and Security, etc.  Students who have established individual payment plans with the College may continue to pay under the established agreements, but transcripts will be released only after payment in full is received.