Know This!

What If I Drop Some Classes?

Click here for a quick guide on what happens to your aid when dropping classes.

The decision about whether or not to drop a class is an academic issue; however, it is your responsibility to understand the financial implications of this decision.

Dropping classes may jeopardize future student aid eligibility, including scholarships & student loans.

If you drop classes before your financial aid is disbursed

  • If you drop below half-time enrollment, you may be ineligible for aid, including Florida Bright Futures and Federal Direct student loans.
  • It is your responsibility to pay the balance of your tuition & fees even if you are ineligible for aid after dropping below half-time enrollment.

If you drop classes after your financial aid is disbursed

  • Some financial aid programs require repayment for dropped or withdrawn classes (e.g. Florida Bright Futures).
  • Some financial aid programs (e.g. Federal Pell Grant, Florida Student Assistance Grant, USF Grant, etc.) require repayment for dropped or withdrawn classes that result in a tuition refund (e.g. first day non-attendance, etc.).
  • It is your responsibility to pay the balance on your student account which may result from dropped or withdrawn classes.

About future student aid eligibility

  • You must maintain satisfactory academic progress from one semester to the next or you may become ineligible for financial aid, including student loans.
  • In addition, you may have received specific scholarships/grants with additional renewal requirements that require earning a minimum number of credit hours and GPA (e.g. Florida Bright Futures, USF Presidential Scholarship, USF Green & Gold, Florida Student Assistance Grant, etc.).
  • Review the terms & conditions for each scholarship/grant you received. If you plan to renew a scholarship/grant, it is your responsibility to plan your future enrollment to meet these renewal requirements.

REPAYMENT & REFUNDS:

Any institutional refunds (e.g. tuition & fees, housing, etc.) you receive will be applied to any federal student aid repayment amount you owe.

You must request institutional refunds from the corresponding USF department according to their established policy/procedures/contract, etc.

You should not expect to receive any institutional refund until all federal student aid programs are repaid in full for the entire amount paid to you that term. This includes retroactive non-fee liable drops approved by the University Registrar when those hours were included in your enrollment status to initially disbursed federal student aid grant funds (e.g. Pell, SEOG, etc.).

You should also not expect to receive any institutional refund until all non-federal aid programs that require a repayment (e.g. Bright Futures, etc.) for totally withdrawn students until those aid programs are also repaid in full.

Students with Federal Direct Stafford or Perkins Loans

  • If you received a Federal Direct Stafford Loan or Federal Perkins Loan and drop below half-time, the grace period prior to repayment will begin (nine-months for Perkins and USF Loans, six-months for Federal Direct Stafford Loans). For more information, contact the appropriate loan servicer:
  • Federal Perkins or USF Loan recipients: contact the Accounts Receivable office.
  • Federal Direct Stafford Loan recipients: contact your federal loan servicer.