Return to Title IV Refund Policy

Return of Title IV (R2T4) Policies and Procedures

Purpose of R2T4 Policy

Students receiving federal funds who completely withdraw or otherwise cease to attend the university during a period of enrollment must have a Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation performed to determine the percentage of aid earned based on the length of time the student was enrolled.

The requirements for Title IV funds when you withdraw are separate from the university refund policy.  Therefore, you may still owe funds to the school to cover unpaid institutional charges.  University of Guam (UOG) will charge the student’s account for any Title IV funds that UOG was required to return.

Institutional Responsibilities

UOG’s responsibilities regarding Return of Title IV (R2T4) funds:

• Identify students affected by this policy and perform R2T4 calculations.
• Inform students of any balance owed to UOG as a result of R2T4 calculations.
• Return unearned Title IV aid (if any) and notify students and/or parents.
• UOG must return unearned Title IV aid to the federal government no later than 45 days after determining the student has withdrawn.

Student Responsibilities regarding the Return of Title IV (R2T4) funds:

• Become familiar with the R2T4 policy and the effects of withdrawing or ceasing to attend UOG with regards to Title IV funds.
• Resolve outstanding balances incurred as a result of R2T4 calculations requiring a return of unearned Title IV aid.
• Resolve any repayments of any overpayments of Title IV funds.

Withdrawals and the effect on Federal Financial Aid (Title IV funds)

Title IV funds are awarded based on the assumption that a student will begin and complete attendance during the entire enrollment period to be awarded.  A student may no longer be eligible to receive the full amount of Title IV aid they were awarded if they withdraw from all courses or cease to attend before the semester ends for any reason.  The student will only be eligible to receive a portion of the aid received. Therefore, the student may be responsible to repay a portion of the original financial aid they were awarded for the semester.

As per federal regulations, the institution is required to perform a recalculation of financial aid eligibility for the following reasons:

• Complete withdrawal from all classes.
• Unofficial withdrawal from (ceasing to attend) all classes before the semester ends.

NOTE: UOG’s refund policy is separate from the federal R2T4 regulation to return unearned aid. 

Although a student may have received a refund from UOG, the student may still be responsible to return funds after determination of an overpayment or R2T4 calculation indicates an unearned financial aid award.

Earned Aid Calculation

For students to earn federal financial aid, they must remain enrolled in their classes for the entire semester.  A student who officially withdraws from all their courses or unofficially withdraws (cease to attend without submitting a withdrawal form) before the semester ends, may have to return a portion of the federal aid they received during the semester.

UOG is required to calculate the earned percentage of federal financial aid a student should have received and return the unearned portion to the U.S. Department of Education.

Below is the formula to determine the earned and unearned percentage of financial aid:

• The percentage earned is the number of calendar days a student completed divided by the total number of calendar days in the period of enrollment

If a student has attended more than 60% of the period of enrollment, the student is considered to have earned 100% of the Title IV funds awarded during the period.

Official Withdrawals

• Students must complete a withdrawal form and submit to the Admissions and Records Office during the withdrawal period.
• At the end of the semester, the Admissions and Records Office will submit to the UOG Financial Aid Office (FAO) all withdrawal forms for students that did not complete any classes for the semester.
• R2T4 calculations will be completed by FAO to determine the amount of financial aid the student has earned.
• FAO will return unearned federal financial aid to the Federal Government on behalf of the student as soon as possible but no later than 45 days after determining the student has withdrawn. This return will result in a charge on the student’s account.
• FAO will send email notifications via the student’s official gotritons email indicating the amount to be returned after R2T4 calculation has been completed.
• It is the responsibility of the student to make payment arrangements with the Bursar’s Office for any and all charges resulting from an R2T4 calculation.

Unofficial Withdrawals

• The University of Guam is not required to take attendance. Therefore, if a student receives an Unofficial Withdrawal (UW) grade, the FAO will use the 50% (midpoint) of the period of enrollment as the withdrawal date.

Post Withdrawal Disbursements (PWD)

If a student did not receive all their earned federal financial aid after ceasing to attend their classes for the semester, UOG may be required to process a Post Withdrawal Disbursement (PWD) of earned aid not received.  Students must have a complete financial aid file to include all verifications and must meet all other eligibility requirements before being able to receive a PWD.

• Grant PWD
  • A PWD for Grants may be credited to the student’s account without obtaining permission from the student.
  • This credit can only be applied to tuition, fees, and room and board (if applicable). Any other credit must be authorized by the student.
  • Grants must be disbursed within 45 days of withdrawal.
• Loan PWD
  • FAO must notify students or parents for Direct Parent PLUS loans within 30 days of withdrawal.
  • Student and parent must confirm permission to disburse loans within 14 days of notification.
  • The Direct Loans must have been originated by FAO prior to the withdrawal.
  • If the disbursement of PWD loans results in a credit balance, the credit balance will be refunded to the student and/or parent (for Direct Parent PLUS loans) as soon as possible, but no later than 14 days after the credit balance has occurred.

Order in which financial aid is returned

UOG will return funds in the following order:

• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans
• Federal Direct Subsidized Loans
• Federal Direct PLUS Loans
• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
• Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant
• Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant

QUESTIONS?

-If you have questions about the Return to Title IV Policy, please contact the Financial Aid Office.