Catalog 73 - National University

Policies and ProceduresUniversity receives on the student’s behalf) less financial aid than theamount earned, the student may be able to receive those additionalfunds.The portion of federal grants and loans that a student is entitled toreceive is calculated on a percentage basis. The percentage isdetermined by comparing the total number of days in the specifiedpayment period to the number of days completed beforewithdrawing from the University.For example, if a student completes 30 percent of the paymentperiod, the student earns 30 percent of the financial aid he/she wasoriginally scheduled to receive. This means that 70 percent of thescheduled award received at the beginning of the payment periodbecomes unearned and must be returned.In general, loan disbursements and grants cover a specific period oftime and number of units called the payment period. Once morethan 60 percent of the payment period has been completed, all (100percent) of the financial aid award received for that period isconsidered earned.Important Note: If a student is considered withdrawn from theUniversity (officially or unofficially) before completing 60 percent ofa payment period, the student may have to repay unearned federalmonies that were already disbursed at the beginning of the paymentperiod.The withdrawal date will be determined as either:• The effective date of withdrawal from the last course attempted,as documented by the University, or• The last date of attendance at an academically related activity, asdocumented by the University.If it is determined that the student received excess funds that mustbe returned, the University shares the responsibility of returningthose funds. The University’s portion of the funds to be returned isequal to the lesser of:• The entire amount of the excess funds, or• The total in tuition and fee charges multiplied by the percentageof unearned aid received.If the refund calculation determines that the University is notrequired to return all of the excess funds, then the student mustreturn the remaining amount. Any loan funds that a student isrequired to return must be repaid according to the terms of thepromissory note. If any grant funds must be returned, the law allowsthe repayment amount to be reduced by 50 percent. This means thata student who has received too much in grant funds will only berequired to return half of the excess amount.If there is a return of any unearned financial aid by the University,the student will be billed accordingly. In such cases, the student willbe required to make arrangements with the Student Accounts Officeto pay the amount refunded to the Department of Education or thelender within 45 days of the date of the University’s notification. Inaddition, the student will not be eligible for any further federalfinancial aid until the balance is paid to the Business Office.Finance CommitteeStudents who wish to dispute the interpretation of a Universityfinancial policy, or who seek special consideration regarding afinancial matter, can appeal their case to the finance committee.Requests must be submitted in writing through the Student AccountsOffice and must contain all pertinent information to support theappeal. All financial disputes must be submitted within one year ofoccurrence. Each case is decided upon its own merits. The decision ofthe committee is final and not subject to appeal, unless there isinformation pertinent to the outcome which was not available at thetime of the initial request.Course SchedulingAny course substitutions or changes in a degree program must beconsistent with a student’s degree objective and fulfill the graduationrequirements for the degree. Students should contact an admissionsadvisor for assistance in requesting such changes. For studentsreceiving financial aid, changes made to their schedules afterprocessing may delay or cancel their aid. Students should speak to afinancial aid advisor before withdrawing from a course or requestinga change of schedule or program.Students can change the class in which they are enrolled prior to thestart date of that course. To ensure that the desired course isavailable, students are encouraged to substitute or add a course atleast one (1) week in advance of the start date.Students may drop a course prior to midnight (PST) of the ninth(9th) day of the session, by contacting 1-866-NU-ACCESS (1-866-682-2237) or scs@nu.edu. A grade will not be awarded and tuitionwill not be charged. After midnight (PST) of the ninth (9th) day ofthe session, a grade may be entered and tuition will be chargedaccording to the refund policy.Course Drop and WithdrawalThe term “drop” means a student has dropped a course prior tomidnight (PST) of the ninth (9th) day of the session, and no grade ornotation appears on the student’s record. The term “withdrawal”signifies that a student has withdrawn from a course after midnight(PST) of the ninth (9th) day of the session, and a “W” will appear onthe student’s record. Students who withdraw after midnight (PST) ofthe twenty-first (21st) day of the session will receive a grade of “F” or“U,” as appropriate for the course. This is a permanent mark with nograde points assigned. Notifying the instructor of one’s intent towithdraw is insufficient and will not constitute an officialwithdrawal. Students may drop a course prior to midnight (PST) ofthe ninth (9th) day of the session, by contacting 1-866-NU-ACCESS(1-866-682-2237) or scs@nu.edu. The student is responsible forensuring that the drop or withdraw is reflected in their recordappropriately by viewing their schedule on the student web portal.Grade ReportingAll grades are reported electronically. Students can access theirofficial grades as posted to their record via the student web portal onthe University’s website. Students who need an official printed copyof a grade report can request one through the website. The report isgenerated automatically and mailed out on a weekly basis. Gradesare not given over the telephone, via e-mail, or by visiting the Officeof the Registrar. Although it is requested that instructors submitgrades within ten (10) working days, due to the varyingrequirements of each course, instructors are allowed a reasonabletime frame. Grades are only reported for students who are officiallyenrolled in a class. Students should direct questions regarding theaccuracy of a grade to their instructor.Student RecordsTranscripts and other documents received by the University for thepurpose of admission or recording supplemental work become theproperty of the University and will not be released to or copied forstudents. Even though California regulatory agencies require thatstudent records be kept for only five (5) years, National University’sstudent records are retained indefinitely.43Policies andProcedures