Return to Title IV

Disbursement Schedule

Barstow Community College (BCC) has full-term disbursement and disbursement schedules for module students. The basis of enrollment is a full-time 18-week semester and two 9-week modules within the 18-week semester. Disbursements are made based on attending hours.

Students will only receive a disbursement once their courses are scheduled to begin. Disbursements occur one week before the start of the course to ensure that the refund process is completed by the first week of class.

Over-awards are calculated at each disbursement point until enrollment is frozen. Once enrollment is frozen, the Return of Title IV is calculated. Students are given 15 days to make payment to BCC. Failure to pay by the deadline results in the institution reporting to the students to the U.S. Department of Education for collection.

Return of Title IV Funds

Federal regulations assume that students earn financial aid by attending and participating in classes over a term. Students cannot earn all funds unless attendance and class participation are maintained for more than 60 % of the term. The calculation counts all calendar days, including each term's first and last day, weekends, and holidays. “No passed classes” are defined as W, NP, F, and drops.

Calculation of the Amount of Title IV Assistance Earned

The portion of aid that must be returned to the financial aid accounts will be based on:

1. Date of withdrawal as determined by the college based on one of the following:
   
   1. The date the student officially withdrew, or
   2. The date the instructor officially dropped the student or
   3. The midpoint of the term, if an unofficial withdraw, or
   4. A date documented by the college.

 

Order of Return of Title IV Funds

BCC must return Title IV funds to the financial aid programs from which the student received aid during the payment period or period of enrollment, in the following order, up to the net amount disbursed from each source:

• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
• Federal Direct Subsidized Loan
• Federal Pell Grants
• FSEOG, for which a return of Title IV funds is required.

 

BCC will ensure Return to Title IV is conducted within 30 days of the student’s withdrawal and offer any applicable post-withdrawal disbursements to the student. BCC will return unearned funds for which BCC is responsible as soon as possible but no later than 45 days from determining a student’s withdrawal.

Post-Withdrawal Disbursements:

A post-withdrawal disbursement (PWD) may be required if the total amount of the Title IV aid earned as of the withdrawal date is more than the amount that was disbursed to the student (e.g., in the case where a student withdraws before the first disbursement date of the term).

To be eligible to receive a PWD, students must have a complete financial aid file (i.e., verification completed and all tracking requirements satisfied) and meet all eligibility requirements.

 

• Grants from a PWD may be credited to the student’s school account without obtaining student permission. However, it may only be credited for tuition and fees or disbursed directly to the student. BCC must obtain the student’s authorization to credit a student’s school account for charges other than current charges.

 

• BCC must obtain confirmation from the student before disbursing loan funds. Also, for a Direct Loan, the institution must have originated the loan before the last date of attendance and/or withdrawal. All terms of repayment apply as outlined in the Master Promissory Note.

 

R2T4 Deadlines:

1. Withdrawal date of determination without notification: 30 days after final grades are due.
2. Return of unearned Title IV funds: No later than 45 days after the date BCC determines the student withdrew.
3. Post-withdrawal disbursement for outstanding current allowable charges: No later than 180 days after the date BCC determines the student withdrew.
4. Written notification to students to accept PWD for loans: Within 30 days of the school’s determination that the student withdrew, students have 14 days from notification to respond.
5. Post-withdrawal disbursement to the student from the date the school determined the student withdrew:
   • Loans - No later than 180 days
   • Grants - No later than 45 days

6. If the calculation results in a credit balance on the student’s account, it will be disbursed within the 14-day allowable timeframe.

 

Treatment of State Aid:

Regarding CalGrant, Student Success Completion Grant (SSCG), or any other state assistance:

Students who withdraw will not be eligible for any future disbursements of these funds. No adjustments to aid will be made upon withdrawal unless it is determined that a student was not eligible for the funds or did not attend their courses.

 

Regarding the California College Promise Grant (CCPG – formerly known as the Board of Governors (BOG) waiver):

A student who withdraws can still receive CCPG to pay any portion of tuition and fees assessed for the term, assuming the student is eligible for funding.

 

Withdrawal Date

BCC is considered a school required to take attendance for online courses. As determined by the learning management system, the last date of attendance for all online courses will be the last date of substantial interaction. For all other courses, the withdrawal date will either be when the student officially withdrew from classes or the mid-point of term/module for unofficial withdrawals.

 

• Percentage of the enrollment period earned:
  
  • Divide the days attended by the number of days in the term (including weekends and holidays).
    
    • Courses at BCC are offered as either full-term courses (18 weeks) or in modules (2 nine-week sessions within the full term). Students enrolled in a combination of classes that meet for the entire 18 weeks will have the calculation based on the total number of days in the term. Students enrolled in one module will have their calculation based on the total number of days in the module.
• Calculation of the portion of financial aid earned up to the 60% point in time:
  
  • Subtract the percentage earned from 100 to determine the percentage unearned.
  • If withdrawal occurs after the 60% date, all the financial aid received will have been earned, and no refund will be required.
• Multiply the total federal financial aid by the calculated percentage unearned. This reflects the total amount of unearned federal aid.
• Subtract the unearned amount of institutional costs from the total amount of unearned aid, which will equal the amount of federal financial aid the student will be responsible for repaying.

 

Students will be notified by mail of the portion of unearned aid the school will refund from institutional costs and the portion the student will be responsible for paying. Students will have 30 days to repay the full amount shown. Failure to pay will result in the balance being turned over to collections.

Unearned financial aid will be applied in the following order to the Pell Grant and then to the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant. Nor more than 50% of the amount the student receives will be required to be returned.

If after calculation, it is determined that a student has earned more aid than they have received, the student will be notified and given the option of receiving the refund. The refund will be issued after the student submits the Post Withdrawal Disbursement Notification. Policies are applied to all students receiving Title IV (Federal Student Aid) funds.

 

Loan Repayment Information:

The loan grace period begins on the withdrawal date from the school or when a student ceases to be enrolled at least half-time. If the student does not re-enroll as a half-time student within 6 months of withdrawal or less than half-time enrollment, the loan(s) enters repayment. The promissory note signed by the borrower outlines the repayment obligations. The student should contact his/her loan servicer to make repayment arrangements.
 

Financial Consequences of Financial Aid Overpayments

A financial aid overpayment may occur due to additional resources, such as scholarships, tuition waivers, agency benefits, or third-party payments. In addition, a financial aid overpayment may occur due to dropped classes. In these cases, your financial aid may be reduced.

Students who owe the U.S. Department of Education for an overpayment of Title IV funds are not eligible for any additional federal financial aid until the overpayment is paid in full or payment arrangements have been made with the U.S. Department of Education.

Students who owe BCC because of an R2T4 calculation will be placed on a financial hold by Fiscal Services. Students may not be allowed to register for subsequent semesters until the balance is paid in full or until payment arrangements have been made with Fiscal Services. In addition, at the time the R2T4 calculation is completed, if the student received Federal Direct Loans, the Financial Aid Office will notify the students of the Federal Loan Exit Counseling requirements.

 

Federal:

The student will have 45 days from the date he or she receives notice from the college to repay the unearned Title IV aid in full.  After 45 days, BCC will report the student and amount to the U.S. Department of Education for further collection. Once reported, the student can no longer make the payment to BCC.   

Grant overpayments will be reported to the National Student Loan Database System (NSLDS) after 45 days and no response by the student. Once an overpayment is reported to NSLDS, a student cannot receive federal financial aid from any program until the balance is resolved.

 

Institutional:

Students who have received aid they were not entitled to receive for any reason, will need to return or repay some or all of the funds received, which may result in a debt owed to BCC. The student must resolve the debt with BCC and may not be allowed to register for subsequent semesters until the balance is paid in full or until payment arrangements have been made with Fiscal Services.

For questions about Title IV program funds, a student can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FEDAID (1-800-433-3243). TTY users may call 1-800-730-8913. Information is also available online at www.studentaid.ed.gov .