Procedure 501.01: Refunds / Returns, Student Tuition and Fees

General Guidelines (all refund/return situations)

1. As used in this document, “beginning of instruction” is defined as the day upon which classes are scheduled to begin for any quarter for students who are attending traditionally scheduled (daytime) classes.
2. Fees will be refunded/returned at 100% for any class or seminar which is cancelled by the college.
3. No refund/return of tuition or fees can be made for any reason beyond the quarter in which the course was offered.
4. No refund/return will be granted to a student who is dismissed from the college for disciplinary reasons or one who fails to follow official withdrawal procedures unless the student has received financial aid under Title IV of the Higher Education Act and a refund/return is mandated by federal regulations.
5. Any time during a quarter, a student who is called into a military service of the United States or who withdraws for documented medical reasons shall receive a full refund/return of tuition and fees.
6. Refunds/returns will be processed within 30 days from the date the refund/return is approved.
7. Refunds/returns will not be allowed to the extent that a student has financial obligations to the college.
8. Students receiving financial aid funded under Title IV of the Higher Education Act shall have their tuition and fees calculated through the sixty percent (60%) point of the enrollment period for which the financial aid recipient has been charged.

Refund Procedures

1. 1. For total withdrawals, students must obtain a withdrawal form from the Student Services Center or Advising and Counseling. The date the student submits the completed form to the Student Services Center is the official date of withdrawal and is the date used in determining the rate at which refunds will be made. Students who leave the college without completing the official withdrawal procedure forfeit all claims for refunds and for credit in courses.
   2. Students may initiate and complete withdrawal by notifying the Student Services Center in writing, in person, or by telephone.
   3. Refunds for special circumstances are initiated by completing a withdrawal form as described above. In addition, students must attach proper supporting documentation to the withdrawal form in order to be reviewed for a refund.
   4. For partial withdrawals, students must obtain an Add/Drop Form from the Student Services Center. The date the student submits the completed form to the Student Services Center is the official date of the change and is the date used in determining the rate at which partial refunds will be made.
   5. Partial refunds to students will be based upon the refund schedule in C for part-time students or for full-time students dropping below ten credits. The refund will be based upon the current credit rate for fewer than ten credits.
   6. Partial refunds for students who have paid a surcharge for more than eighteen credits and then subsequently dropped to eighteen or fewer credits will be based upon the refund schedule in C and upon the current surcharge rate.
   7. For purposes of this section, Mini sessions will be defined as those courses meeting less than a normal quarter (11 weeks) in length.

Refund Schedule

Seminars

1. 1. No refunds will be allowed for seminars unless the participant notifies the college of their withdrawal at least 24 hours prior to the beginning of the first session.
   2. The participant may notify the Student Support Center in writing, in person, or by telephone.

Community Education Courses

1. 1. Community Education courses are defined, for this purpose, as self-supporting.
   2. No refunds will be allowed unless the student notifies the college of their withdrawal at least 72 hours prior to the beginning of the first session.
   3. The student may notify the Student Services Center or Office of Instruction in writing, in person, by email or by telephone.

Return of Military Tuition Assistance

Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is 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 and fails to attend throughout the duration of the quarter, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded. Grays Harbor College (GHC) will return any unearned TA funds on a prorated basis through at least the 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending. These funds are returned to the military service branch.

1. Official Withdrawals Students receiving TA who withdraw from classes during the quarter will be required to provide the Student Services Center with completed withdrawal paperwork. This paperwork will document the student’s last day of attendance in classes. This date will then be used to establish the date the student began the official withdrawal process and used to calculate the unearned TA return amount, if necessary. Unearned TA return calculations are conducted when a student officially withdraws from all registered classes prior to 60% of the quarter. If a student withdraws from classes beyond the 60% point in the quarter, they are considered to have earned 100% of their TA, and no return calculation is required.
2. Unofficial Withdrawals Grays Harbor College requires instructors who assign non-passing grades to provide the student’s last date of attendance at the point grades are submitted. At the end of the quarter, once instructors have reported all grades, the Financial Aid Veteran’s Services Office will run a report to identify students who received TA and who did not receive any credits (no passing grades). This list is reviewed to determine whether students are considered to have unofficially withdrawn for the quarter. Each student is reviewed to determine their last date of attendance. If a student failed to attend at least 60% of the quarter, an unearned TA return calculation is conducted using the instructors reported last date of attendance.
3. Return of Unearned TA The amount of earned TA is calculated on a weekly basis from the first day of classes. Earned TA is determined by taking the number of weeks attended before enrollment ended divided by the total number of weeks in the term. (First day of instruction until the last day of finals). Fall quarter is a 12 week quarter, Winter and Spring are 11 week quarters and Summer is an 8 week quarter. See examples:

Example 1: 12 Week Course Withdraw submitted

• • Before or during week 1 – 100% return
  • During weeks 2-3 – 75% return
  • During weeks 4-6 – 50% return
  • During weeks 7-8 – 40% return (60% of course is completed)
  • During weeks 9-12 – 0% return

Example 2: 11 Week Course Withdraw submitted

• • Before or during week 1 – 100% return
  • During weeks 2-3 – 75% return
  • During weeks 4-6 – 50% return
  • During weeks 7 – 40% return (60% of course is completed)
  • During weeks 8-11 – 0% return

Example 3: 8 week Course Withdraw submitted

• • Before or during week 1 – 100% return
  • During week 2 – 75% return
  • During weeks 3-4 – 50% return
  • During weeks 5 – 40% return (60% of course is completed)
  • During weeks 6-8 – 0% return

Return policies apply to students that withdraw on or before the 60% point of the term. For students who withdraw after the 60% point-in-time, there is no unearned TA.

Instances when a service member stops attending due to a military service obligation, GHC will work with the affected service member to identify solutions that will not result in student debt for the returned portion.