Withdrawing from classes may have serious consequences for your financial aid awards and aid eligibility. Withdrawal also may have far-reaching effects in other areas of student life. If you are considering withdrawing from your courses, you should speak with your academic advisor, financial aid advisor, or a Student Affairs representative. If you are in campus housing, you should also consult with Residence Life to discuss the consequences of your withdrawal.
Listed below are some possible effects of withdrawal. Please refer to our Withdrawal Checklist to help guide you through the possible consequences of withdrawal. You should try to review this checklist with your academic or financial aid advisor before withdrawing so that you are able to make the best and most informed decision.
Listed below are some key areas that you should consider before withdrawing:
If you are receiving federal financial aid:
- Withdrawal can affect your student aid eligibility for the term: If you are receiving federal or state financial aid, your loans and grants will recalculate based upon your last date of attendance. Any unearned portion of the aid will be returned to the financial aid programs. Depending on the date of your withdrawal and the type of aid you receive, your tuition account could actually be opened and you may need to return financial aid. Please check with our office if you are considering withdrawal.
- Withdrawal can affect your overall financial aid eligibility: Repeated withdrawals could compromise your future eligibility for financial aid because you may not be meeting the federally mandated satisfactory progress policy. If you have questions about this federal requirement, contact our office.
- Withdrawal will affect your loan deferments: If you have student loans, your loans will lose in-school deferment status after you withdraw, and you may need to start repaying your loans. Check with our office for more information or contact the holder of your loans.
If you are living on campus:
- Withdrawal will affect your on-campus housing: If you live in campus housing, you should check with Residence Life before withdrawing, as you need to be enrolled in school to stay in campus housing.
If you receive insurance or benefits:
- Withdrawal may affect your insurance or benefits: Many insurance policies (health, auto, etc.) or benefit policies require active enrollment. Withdrawal can affect your eligibility: check your policy before deciding to withdraw.
Consider the cost of withdrawal
Your cost of attendance for your educational program will escalate as a result of lost time, unearned coursework, delayed graduation, and increased educational debt if you are borrowing to attend school. If you need to withdraw, we recommend that you work with your financial aid and academic counselors to find strategies to minimize this cost.
Federal Direct Stafford Loan Exit Counseling
If you borrowed a Federal Direct Stafford Loan and are graduating or leaving DePaul, you are required to complete the Federal Direct Loan Exit Counseling Session. During the exit counseling session, you will learn important information about the next steps with your student loans.
Federal Perkins Loan Exit Counseling
If you have borrowed under the Federal Perkins Loan program, you also will need to complete exit counseling for your Perkins Loan.
Federal TEACH Grant Exit Counseling
If you have received the Federal TEACH Grant, you also will need to complete exit counseling for the TEACH Grant. Please visit the federal exit counseling website and follow the links for TEACH grant exit counseling.
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