What is
Unofficial Withdrawal
Unofficial withdrawal is a status assigned to a student who receives federal financial aid but has not fulfilled their academic requirements. If a student does not earn a passing grade in at least one course he or she has enrolled in for the semester, institutional administration bodies must assume for financial aid purposes that the student has unofficially withdrawn—unless it can be officially documented that the student did complete the term or semester. An unofficial withdrawal also occurs when a student does not attend any classes and stops participating in any academic activities beyond the date they last attended classes.
If a student unofficially withdraws, university tuition and fee charges will still apply: the student will be charged fully at most institutions. Therefore, any refund owed to a federal financial aid program is the student’s responsibility to repay.