Financial Implications of Withdrawing

Columbia University refunds 100% of tuition before the Change of Program Period ends.

Weeks 1 and 2 occur during the Change of Program Period of both Fall and Spring semesters.

Week 3 begins on the first Monday after the Change of Program Period ends.

Each week begins on a Monday.

The rates below are subject to review by the Trustees of the University.

Special Considerations for Refunds

The one-time document fee and application fee are not refundable.

There is no difference in the prorated refund rates for programs charging tuition per point versus flat rate.

Some program start dates fall outside of the Office of the Registrar's official academic calendar. Therefore, Weeks 1 and 2 refer to the first two weeks of the specific program instead of the official Change of Program Period. Please check with your school's Registration Services or Academic Affairs office to determine your expected tuition refund in the event of a withdrawal. 

Summer Term

The Professional Studies Summer Sessions refund schedule differs from the Fall and Spring refund schedule outlined above. Students in other schools or programs should contact their deans or student affairs office for more information on summer term withdrawals and their associated refund rates.

GradGuard Tuition Insurance can protect your investment by providing reimbursement when a student can’t complete an academic term due to an unforeseen, covered accident, injury, chronic illness, or mental health condition. Optional insurance can protect up to the policy coverage limits of a family’s education investment should a student withdraw for a covered medical reason up to the coverage amount.

This coverage strengthens and broadens the scope of our existing refund policy and can provide reimbursement for tuition, room, board, and other fees. To learn more, please visit the GradGuard website.

If a student has an unpaid balance as a result of temporarily or permanently leaving school, their balance will be handled in accordance with the Student Financial Responsibility Statement acknowledged upon initial course registration. Unpaid Bills may result in late fees and holds that pose challenges to a student's ability to return to school and more.

When a Title IV Federal Student Aid Recipient ceases attendance or otherwise satisfies the requirements for withdrawal or leave of absence, their school must determine what percentage of their Title IV Federal Student Aid has to be returned to the Federal Government through a process called R2T4 (return calculation). Federal regulations state that a Federal Student Aid recipient begins earning funds on their first day of attendance for the given period of enrollment. The earned aid is therefore calculated by dividing the number of days attended, as determined by a students Withdrawal Effective Date, which is also used to apply the Refund Rate for Withdrawals, by the total number of days in the given term to determine the percent of aid earned.

The Percent of Title IV Aid Earned  =  Number of Days Attended / Number of Days in Term

Based on the results of this calculation, the Financial Aid Office is required to notify the student of his or her eligibility, if any, for a post-withdrawal disbursement within 30 days of the date the student withdraws from the University. The amount of assistance that a student has earned and is therefore, eligible to keep, is determined on a pro rata basis. For example, if the student completed 30% of the payment period or period of enrollment, the student has earned 30% of the federal financial aid that he or she received or was scheduled to receive. This also means that the student did not earn 70% of the scheduled federal financial aid and this amount must be returned to the federal financial aid program. Once a student has completed more than 60% of the payment period or period of enrollment, he or she has earned all the federal financial aid received or scheduled to be received for that period.

If the withdrawn student did not receive all of the funds that he or she earned, they may be eligible for a Post-withdrawal disbursement. If Post-withdrawal disbursement includes loan funds, the student’s School Financial Aid Office must get their permission before it can disburse them. Students may choose to decline some or all of the loan funds so that they do not incur additional debt.

For undergraduate students, all or a portion of the Post-Withdrawal disbursement of grant funds may be automatically used for any existing outstanding charges, including tuition, fees and housing charges. The Financial Aid Office will need the student’s permission to use the Post-Withdrawal grant disbursement for all other school charges. If the student does not give permission (some schools ask for this when students enroll), they will be offered the funds. However, it may be in the student’s best interest to allow the school to keep the funds to reduce their debt at the school.

There are some Title IV funds that may have been scheduled for release but can no longer be disbursed on the student’s account because their Withdrawal or Leave of Absence and other eligibility requirements have not been met.

If the withdrawn student received more Title IV program funds than they earned, the Schools Financial Aid Office must return this unearned excess amount to the appropriate aid program. 

As required under regulation 34 CFR 668.22 and determined by the Return Calculation, unearned aid is returned in the following order as applicable:

• Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford loans
• Subsidized Federal Direct Stafford loans
• Federal Direct PLUS Loans received on behalf of the student
• Federal Pell Grants
• Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants
• FSEOG Program aid
• TEACH Grants

Any unearned portion of Financial Aid that was disbursed to the student must be repaid to the university. If the return of the unearned federal funds results in a debit to the student’s account (SSOL), they will be responsible for the outstanding balance owed to the University.  Additional information regarding how student account charges are determined for a student that ceases attendance of otherwise satisfies the requirements for Withdrawal or Leave of Absence may be found below.

In the event that the Withdrawn Student is eligible for a refund of earned aid, the student should ensure that their direct deposit information is updated.  For students who do not have direct deposit, it is important to keep their mailing address up to date (Vergil) so that the refund can be mailed.  Students should also check SSOL periodically for any updates, alerts, emails etc. that may contain important information that could have an impact on registration should the student decide to return to the university.

The university is required by law to refund earned credit balances within 14 days from the date the earned aid was determined.

For more information about our refund process, please visit the SFS refunds page.

This law requires that institutions determine the amount of federal financial aid (Title IV programs) that a student earned at the time of his or her withdrawal. The Title IV programs that are covered by this law include:

• Federal Pell Grants
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOGs) 
• Federal Direct Stafford Loans
• Federal Direct PLUS Loans

When a student withdraws during the payment period or period of enrollment, the amount of Title IV program assistance that the student earned to that point (Withdrawal Effective Date) is determined by a specific federal formula. If the student received less assistance than the amount that was earned, the student may be able to receive those additional funds as a Post-Withdrawal disbursement. If the student received more assistance than the amount that was earned, the excess funds must be returned by the school and/or the student.

If you are a Student Borrower of one or more loans that are part of The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program, which includes Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct PLUS Loans and Direct Consolidation Loans, you must complete Required Federal Student Loan Exit Counseling for Undergraduate or Graduate Students, as applicable.

• Columbia University Consumer Information
• Contact Your Financial Aid Office if you have questions about ceasing attendance or otherwise meeting the requirements of withdrawal of leave of absence.
• Review information related to the Federal Student Aid you are or anticipate receiving
  • Student Financial Services
    • Federal Student Loans & Student Loan Repayment
    • Federal Pell Grant
    • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
  • Federal Student Aid
    • Federal Student Loans
    • Federal Student Loan Repayment and When Repayment Starts
    • Federal Student Loan Delinquency and Default

If you are a student that is also a benefit-eligible employee, we strongly encourage you to review the Human Resources Benefits Page and corresponding materials for information related to ongoing eligibility before ceasing attendance or otherwise satisfying requirements for withdrawal or leave of absence from school.  Additionally, the Human Resources Employee Tuition Programs page and Student Financial Services Employee Tuition Exemption page offer information unique to the utilization of employee tuition benefits.

For additional information or questions related to a specific benefit, please contact the administering entity of your benefit directly unless directed otherwise.  You may contact Human Resources for assistance with determining the appropriate contact for your benefit-related questions.

Borrowers of Other Loan Types should contact their school's Financial Aid Office directly for additional information regarding the impact of ceasing attendance or otherwise satisfying requirements for withdrawal or leave of absence from school.

Recipients of University or School-Based Aid or Other Institutionally Funded Aid Types should contact the Awarding Office for information concerning the impact that ceasing attendance or otherwise satisfying requirements for withdrawal or leave of absence from school may have on their award.

Sponsored Students should take any required action outlined in the terms of the sponsorship contract and may contact their sponsor directly with questions regarding the impact of ceasing attendance or otherwise satisfying requirements for withdrawal or leave of absence from school.  Any changes to a student's sponsorship should be reported via email to the Student Financial Services Sponsored Students Inbox.

Students receiving assistance from an entity outside the university, such as Scholarships or Other Outside Awards, should contact the awarding entity for information related to temporarily or permanently leaving school.