Financial Aid Refund Policy

DBU uses student accounts to assess charges and apply payments against those charges. If a student's account balance is a credit, the University will refund any credit to the student in a timely manner. Credit balances caused by financial aid are refunded only after a careful review of the student's account and eligibility for the posted aid. Once a refund has been determined due to the student, the refund is made to the student within 14 days as required by federal regulations. The refund will be issued either in the form of a check made payable to the student and issued by the cashier’s office and mailed to the preferred address on file with the Registrar’s Office or deposited electronically to a bank account set up and authorized by the student (preferred method).

Students receiving federal aid funds who withdraw or change enrollment status (increase or decrease semester hours taken) may have federal aid adjusted in accordance with formulas prescribed by the Federal Title IV Program, DBU policy, or both.

Important Note: Credit balance refunds due students are processed only after the Add/Drop period closes each semester (consult the semester online Schedule of Classes information for this date). Eligibility for a refund depends on several factors and will be determined by the Office of Financial Aid. Changes such as dropping courses or withdrawing from the University could result in delays in receiving a refund or in the reduction of the student's aid package, thereby removing a potential credit balance.

Withdrawal from the University

It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from the University when necessary. Failure to officially withdraw through the Registrar’s Office will cause the student to receive an “F” in each course regardless of the record at the time the student ceased to attend class. (Withdrawal from the University does not automatically withdraw the student from housing.)

After the Add/Drop deadlines recorded on the Academic Calendar, a student may drop one or more courses; this is defined as Withdrawal. Withdrawal from ALL courses on ANY date is known as Official (full) Withdrawal from the University. If the Official (full) Withdrawal occurs prior to completing 60% of the semester or term, a pro-rated portion of all Federal Financial Aid received during the semester must be returned to the federal aid programs within 45 days of withdrawal. In every case, the student must submit a properly executed WITHDRAWAL FORM. To be properly executed, the form must (1) be signed and dated by the student’s advisor, (2) be received in the Registrar’s Office. If the student has entered into a financial aid agreement, the student should meet with the Financial Aid Department.

Federal Financial Aid Return to Title IV Refund Policy

You are awarded federal aid based on attendance for an academic term and the number of hours you are enrolled. When you do not complete an academic term (withdraw), federal regulations (34 CFR part 668.22) require that Dallas Baptist University returns any unearned portion of Federal aid that you received, or may be eligible to receive, based on the number of days attended.  Federal aid (also known as Title IV aid) includes the following funds: Federal Direct Subsidized Student Loans, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loans, Direct PLUS Loans, Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOGs), Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants (IASG), and Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarships (CoFH).

All schools must use the same federally mandated formula in determining the amount of aid you have earned, and the amount of aid that you and DBU are required to return to the financial aid programs. Federal regulations also determine the order of the financial aid programs from which federal funds must be returned. Federal direct loans will be returned first, then federal grants and scholarships. After the 60% point in your enrollment period, all Federal funds will be 100% earned and will not need to be returned.

Policy and Procedural Statement

At DBU, Title IV federal aid funds are awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of Title IV funds that he/she was originally scheduled to receive.

If a recipient of Title IV grant or loan funds withdraws from school after beginning attendance, the amount of Title IV grant or loan assistance earned by the student must be determined. If the amount disbursed to the student is greater than the amount the student earned, the unearned funds must be returned. If the amount disbursed to the student is less than the amount the student earned, and for which the student is otherwise eligible, he or she may be eligible to receive a post-withdrawal disbursement of the earned aid that was not received.

DBU determines the withdrawal date and date of last academic participation to complete the return to Title IV calculation based on federal regulations. A student's withdrawal date and date of last academic participation vary depending on the type of withdrawal: either official or unofficial. When a student provides official notification of his/her intent to withdraw by utilizing DBU’s official withdrawal process, the withdrawal is defined and treated as an official withdrawal. When the student does not complete the official withdrawal process, but simply discontinues participation in all classes, and no official notification is provided by the student, it is considered an unofficial withdrawal and will be calculated based on the last known date of attendance or academic activity.

Withdrawal Process

As defined above, a student who desires to discontinue his/her enrollment at the University and follows the formal official process for withdrawing is considered an official withdrawal. A student who desires to discontinue his/her enrollment at the University and does not follow the formal process for withdrawing, but simply discontinues his/her participation in all academic courses is considered an unofficial withdrawal. An official or unofficial withdrawal is considered to be leaving the University with no intention of returning, as DBU does not have an official leave of absence policy.

A student deciding to withdraw from the university should take the following steps:

Complete a Withdrawal Form (can be obtained from the Registrar’s office);
The form must include all necessary signatures, or the process will not be completed.
Return the completed form to the University Registrar's Office, 3000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, TX 75211.

Determination of Withdrawal Date

Official Withdrawals (Official Notification Provided by the Student)

Withdrawals defined as official are processed in accordance with federal regulations. The Office of the Registrar receives official withdrawal forms and posts information in the University computer system to denote those students’ withdrawals from various classes.

The Office of Financial Aid runs reports at least weekly to determine which students have withdrawn from ALL their classes for the term. This information includes the date of withdrawal, the date of last known academic engagement, and the semester of attendance. This information is maintained in the University’s student information system. For students who officially withdraw, their withdrawal date is the earliest of the date of the official withdrawal, or the date the student expressed his/her intent to withdraw to an advisor or other University official. Official withdrawals will be processed as prescribed by federal regulations, and students will be notified of any return of funds within 30 days from the date that a student withdraws, and any return of funds will be processed within 45 days.

Unofficial Withdrawal (Official Notification not Provided by the Student)

For a student who withdraws without providing notification to DBU, the institution determines the withdrawal date using defined criteria based on federal regulations. This category of withdrawals may include students that drop out and students that do not earn a passing grade.

To identify the unofficial withdrawals, the Registrar works with faculty of each class to determine the date of the last academic engagement for students in each class. When each faculty member assigns grades for the course at the end of each term, he/she also assigns a date of last academic engagement or attendance. For students who receive a passing grade, this date is the last day of class. For students who receive a failing grade, they are also assigned a date of last attendance or last academic activity when the faculty member assigns the grade. If that date cannot be determined by the faculty member, the date used is the mid-point of the semester (because DBU is a school that is not required to take attendance). If that date is within the last two weeks of class, the student is considered to have completed the course and “earned” the failing grade. If that date is earlier than two weeks before the end of the term, the faculty member determines when the student last participated in an academic activity for the class and uses that date, or the date of the mid-point of the semester. Once all grades are posted for the semester, the Office of Financial Aid runs a report to determine which students received all failing grades, and from that list, determines which students require the Return to Title IV (R2T4) calculation. Unofficial withdrawals will be processed as prescribed by federal regulations, and students will be notified of any return of funds within 30 days from the date that a student withdraws, and any return of funds will be processed within 45 days.

Calculation of Earned Title IV Assistance

The withdrawal date is used to determine the point in time that the student is considered to have withdrawn so the percentage of the period of enrollment completed by the student can be determined. The percentage of Title IV aid earned is equal to the percentage of the period of enrollment completed. The amount of Title IV federal aid earned by the student is determined by using the Department of Education administered Website. Once a student has completed at least 60% of a term, all awarded aid (100%) is considered to be earned. The percentage of federal aid earned and the order in which the unearned aid is returned are defined by federal regulations.

The calculation of earned Title IV funds includes the following grant and loan funds if they were disbursed or could have been disbursed to the student for the period of enrollment for which the R2T4 calculation is being performed.

Pell Grant
Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG)
Federal Direct Loans

Programs in Modules

DBU is a standard term university offering courses in 3 payment periods (fall, spring, summer). The summer payment period is a trailer to the financial aid award year. For specific subterm information, click here.

A student is not considered to have withdrawn if the institution obtains written confirmation from the student at the time of withdrawal that he or she will attend a later module in the same payment period; and for standard and nonstandard term programs, excluding subscription-based programs, that module begins no later than 45 calendar days after the end of the module the student ceased attending.

A student is not considered withdrawn for Return of TItle IV Funds if a student successfully completes:

All requirements for graduation from his or her program before completing the days or hours in the period that the student was scheduled to complete;

One module that includes 49% or more of the number of days in the payment period;

A combination of modules that when combined contain 49% or more of the number of days in the payment period; or

Coursework equal to or greater than the coursework required for the institution's definition of a half-time student.

Institutional Charges

Institutional charges are used to determine the portion of unearned Title IV aid that the school is responsible for returning. DBU ensures that all charges for tuition, fees, room, and board, as well as all other applicable institutional charges, are included in the Return to Title IV calculation. Institutional charges do not affect the amount of Title IV aid that a student earns when he or she withdraws. The institutional charges used in the calculation usually are the charges that were initially assessed the student for the period of enrollment. Initial charges are only adjusted by those changes the institution made prior to the student’s withdrawal (for example, for a change in enrollment status unrelated to the withdrawal). If, after a student withdraws, the institution changes the amount of institutional charges it is assessing a student, or decides to eliminate all institutional charges, those changes affect neither the charges nor aid earned in the calculation.

Return of Unearned Funds to Title IV

A student who withdraws after the 60% point of a semester is entitled to retain all 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 University provides no refund to the student. This means the student could owe the University and/or the U.S. Department of Education a significant amount of money.

Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans
Subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans
Graduate PLUS Loans
Parent PLUS Loans
Federal Pell Grants
Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants
Federal SEOG

Post-Withdrawal Disbursements

If the student did not receive all the funds that were earned prior to withdrawing, a post-withdrawal disbursement may be due. If the student is eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement of a grant, it must be disbursed within 45 days. If the post-withdrawal disbursement includes loan funds, the student must give permission before the funds can be disbursed. Students will be notified within 30 days of the date of the withdrawal determination of any direct loan eligibility, or a parent for a Direct Parent PLUS Loan eligibility. Permission is required to use the post-withdrawal grant disbursement for all other school charges. If a post-withdrawal disbursement from a loan results in a credit balance, the credit balance will be refunded to the student and/or the parent in the case of a Direct Parent PLUS Loan as soon as possible, but no later than 14 days after the credit balance has occurred. The school must return the Title IV funds within 45 days of the date the school determines the student withdrew. 34 CFR §668.22(a) (5) (6), 34 CFR §164 (j).

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