Refund Policy
Refunds for complete withdrawal from the college are made on a pro-rata basis based on the total number of calendar days in the session. Refunds are made until 60% of the session is complete. The detailed schedule of pro-rata refund percentages by date and part-of-term is available here:
A full refund will be processed for students who officially withdraw prior to the first day of the semester.
The refund amount for students completely withdrawing from the University after the first day of the semester will be based on a pro rata percentage determined by dividing the total number of calendar days in the semester the student has completed by the total number of calendar days in the semester. The total number of calendar days in the semester will include weekends. Scheduled breaks of five or more days are excluded. No refunds will be issued once a student has completed 60% or more of a semester.
NO refunds will be made for the following:
- Withdrawal after 60% of the semester is completed
- Failure to withdraw officially
- Suspension or forced withdrawal for disciplinary reasons
- Reduction in hours after the "drop/add" period ends
- Late registration fee payments
- Applied music fee payments or other non-refundable course specific fee
Exceptions. A refund of all nonresident fees, matriculation fees, and other mandatory fees will be made in the event of:
- The death of a student at any time during the academic session. (BOR Policy Manual 7.3.5.2)
- Military reassignment, deployment, or mandated training of the student after having enrolled in the University. (BOR Policy Manual 7.3.5.3)
Refund Disbursement for Withdrawal
The source of funds used in the original payment of tuition and fees determines the recipient of the refund as shown here with additional information following.
| Fund Source: | Refund goes to: |
| Cash, check, or charge card payment | Student |
| Third-party contract | Third-party contract |
| Scholarship | As determined by scholarship instructions |
| Financial aid – HOPE, federal loans, Pell, SEOG | As determined by federal and state guidelines. See “Refund/Repayment Policy for Financial Aid Recipients” for more detail. |
Refund Specific to Military Tuition Assistance Third-Party Contract
The University refund policy applies to all third-party contract students which includes military tuition assistance (TA) students. Any unearned TA funds are returned to the funding source on a proportional basis through at least the 60 percent portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending. In instances when a Service member stops attending due to a military service obligation, the University will work with the affected Service member to identify solutions that will not result in a student debt for the returned portion.
Refund/Repayment Policy for Financial Aid Recipients
When financial aid recipients withdraw during a semester, the amount of federal assistance that students have earned up to that point is determined by a formula specified by the Department of Education. If students were disbursed less assistance than the amount earned up to the point of withdrawal, they are eligible to receive the additional funds. If students received more assistance than earned, then they and the institution will share in returning excess funds to the appropriate federal agency. A percentage of book charges must also be returned, which will cause debt to Middle Georgia State University. To avoid these charges, students should contact the Bookstore to see if the books can be returned for credit. The Office of Financial Aid follows the published institutional refund policy.
The amount of assistance earned is determined on a pro-rata basis. That is, if students completed 30 percent of the period of enrollment, they have earned 30 percent of the assistance originally scheduled. Once students complete more than 60 percent of the enrollment period, all assistance originally scheduled has been earned.
If students received excess funds based on this formula, the University must return a portion of the excess equal to the lesser of:
- The institutional charges multiplied by the unearned percentage of student funds, or
- The entire amount of the excess funds.
If the University is not required to return all of the excess funds, students must return the remaining amount. Any loan funds that students must return must be repaid by the students (or their parents for a PLUS loan) in accordance with the terms of the promissory note.
If students are responsible for returning grant funds, they do not have to return the full amount. Financial Aid policy provides that students may retain 50 percent of the grant amount calculated for return. Any amount students are required to return, however, is considered to be a grant overpayment. Arrangements to repay these funds must be made with the University within 45 days. After this period the University is required to report the overpayment to the Department of Education and the student must then make arrangements with the Department to settle the debt.
