Drops and withdrawals
Drops and withdrawals can affect a student’s account balance. Students who make registration changes after the initial billing date should review their accounts for updates.
- Drops: Charges are removed to indicate that the student never attended the class. Any financial aid already credited to the student’s account based on the original course registration will be removed and may create a balance due to VCU.
- Withdrawals: Charges are assessed and adjusted according to VCU’s refund policy. Medical withdrawals are treated no differently than other withdrawals. Students who withdraw may owe a balance to the university.
Housing, dining and financial aid adjustments can also affect the student’s balance. For information regarding cancellations and adjustments to dining and housing charges, visit Residential Life and Housing and VCUDine.
Financial aid implications
Students who withdraw prior to completing 60% of the semester (as measured in calendar days) will have to pay all or a portion of the financial aid funds that were disbursed to their VCU student accounts. They may also be responsible for university charges that were previously paid by financial aid.
VCU refund policy
Refunds generated by withdrawals are calculated on a course-by-course, per-credit-hour basis, disregarding the full-time cap amounts for block students and discounted tuition for non-block students.
Charges are recalculated based on the number of remaining enrolled credit hours plus the nonrefundable percentage of the withdrawn courses. Students who withdraw from classes may not receive a reduction in charges.
Refunds will be computed based on the actual withdrawal date certified by the Office of Records and Registration. Refunds will not be made to students who stop attending classes without completing the required withdrawal procedure.
To request an exception to the VCU refund policy, submit the Refund/Waiver Appeal Form to Student Accounting. Exceptions are made only in rare instances; the decision rendered by the Refund/Waiver Appeals Committee represents the final administrative decision within the university for an exception to the VCU refund policy. Appeals must be submitted within three years from the semester in which the student is appealing.
Refund information by academic session
The refund policy for standard classes is based on the weeks of the semester and not the class meeting days (if the semester begins on a Thursday, the first week of classes is from Thursday through the following Wednesday). Effective for the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters, the drop and prorated withdrawal refund period has been extended. The extended dates for the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters are noted below.
|
Withdrawal/drop period |
Student refund |
Retained by university |
|
Drop prior to the first day of classes |
100% tuition and fees |
0% |
|
Drop first week of classes Spring 2021: Drop through Feb. 8, 2021 |
100% tuition and fees |
0% |
|
Withdraw second week of classes Spring 2021: Withdrawal dates of Feb. 9-15, 2021 |
80% tuition and university fee |
20% tuition and university fee; 100% of all other fees |
|
Withdraw third week of classes Spring 2021: Withdrawal dates of Feb. 16-22, 2021 |
60% tuition and university fee |
40% tuition and university fee; 100% of all other fees |
|
Withdraw fourth week of classes Spring 2021: Withdrawal dates of Feb. 23-March 1, 2021 |
40% tuition and university fee |
60% tuition and university fee; 100% of all other fees |
|
Withdraw after fourth week of classes Spring 2021: Withdrawal dates beginning March 2, 2021 |
0% |
100% tuition and all fees
|
A full refund for a non-standard or short course will be granted if the course is dropped on or before the day after the first day of class. No refunds are given for withdrawals of short and non-standard courses. Students who withdraw from non-standard classes that are longer than standard classes should contact their program administrators.
A full refund for the summer session will be granted if the course is dropped on or before the day after the first day of class. No refunds are given for withdrawals during the summer session.
A full refund for the holiday intersession will be granted if the course is dropped on or before the first day of class. No refunds are given for withdrawals during the holiday intersession.
The refund policy and deadlines of the English Language Program are different from the policy for academic classes. Details of the policy may be obtained from the English Language Program office.