Refund Policy

A student who pays the advanced deposit but does not begin attending classes, or who begins attending classes and subsequently withdraws, may be entitled to an adjustment of some or all of the charges paid for that semester. The decision will be based on a specific date, as determined by the College. For a student who does not begin attending classes, the determining factor will be the date of written notification to the Business Office. For a student who voluntarily withdraws, or who is administratively withdrawn, the last day the student attended a class or classes will be the determining factor.

For ease of reference, the terms withdraw or withdrawal will be used for all cases involving students who begin attending classes and cease attending during a semester, regardless of the reason.

There are two basic considerations involved when a student does not enroll or withdraws. The first consideration is how the student’s various charges will be handled. The second is, if the student has financial aid, how the financial aid will be handled. These considerations are outlined in the following sections.

Based on the following adjustments, a student's account may reflect a credit available for refund, or an additional amount may be owed to the College.

How to Calculate Charge Adjustments

Tuition Charges

• 100% adjustment for a written request received by August 1 for the fall semester and December 1 for the spring semester
• 75% adjustment for a written request received from August 2nd through August 28th for the fall semester and from December 2nd through January 15th for the spring semester.
• 75% adjustment for withdrawal from August 29th through September 5th for the fall semester, and from January 16th through January 23rd for the spring semester.
• 50% adjustment for withdrawal from September 6th through September 28th for the fall semester, and January 24th through February 8th for the spring semester.
• 25% adjustment for withdrawal from September 29th through October 25th for the fall semester, and from February 9th through March 6th for the spring semester.
• No adjustment will be made for withdrawal after October 26th for the fall semester and March 7th for the spring semester.

Room Charges

• 100% adjustment for a written request received by August 1 for the fall semester and December 1 for the spring semester.
• No adjustment will be made for a written request or withdrawal after August 1 for the fall semester and after December 1 for the spring semester.

Meal Charges

• 100% adjustment for a written request received by the Business Office until the cafeteria is open for the student.
• Once the cafeteria is open for the student, meal charges will be assessed on the basis of the number of days the cafeteria was open with the determining factor being the official date of withdrawal. In addition, a $100 meal administrative fee will be charged. The balance of the charges will be adjusted.

Student Health Insurance Premium

• 100% adjustment for written requests received before the student arrives on campus.
• No adjustment will be made once the student arrives on campus.

Miscellaneous Charges

• Administrative Fees. A fee of $100 will be charged for each withdrawal.
• Application Fee. This fee is paid as part of the admissions process and it is not refundable.
• Advanced Deposits. All new students and returning boarding students planning to enroll in the fall semester are required to make an advanced deposit as confirmation of the student's intention to enroll in that semester. This payment is non-refundable, and it is applied to the student's tuition for the fall semester. A student who is enrolled in the fall semester and who does not complete the semester forfeits this payment. A student planning to enter in the spring semester is required to make an advanced deposit. This payment is non-refundable if the student does not enroll or if the student enrolls and subsequently withdraws.
• Special Fees. These fees are listed in the catalog and under Tuition & Fees on this web site. Once assessed, none of these fees are refundable.
• Fines. Any fine incurred by a student is not refundable.

Tuition payments for the summer term are refundable only if a course is canceled. Immediately following the deadline date for payment of courses, the Final Class Schedule showing courses to be offered will be issued. A student registered for a course or courses canceled because of insufficient enrollment may select another course or may receive a refund for the course(s) canceled.

A student who does not begin attending classes is not eligible for any type of financial aid. Also, as discussed later in this section, a student is not eligible for any type of aid sponsored by the State of Florida if he/she withdraws before the end of the drop/add period. In either case, each item of financial aid will be canceled and returned to its source.

When a student begins attendance and subsequently withdraws, the student's financial aid is subject to adjustment depending on the withdrawal date and the type of aid. The adjustment will involve a determination of how much of the student’s financial aid was "earned" and how much was "unearned." Earned financial aid will be retained in the student’s account to apply to student charges. If the earned aid exceeds the student’s adjusted charges, it can be retained by the student for other educational expenses. The financial aid that is unearned will be withdrawn from the student’s account and returned to the source(s). Students who begin the semester as full-time students, and subsequently reduce their academic hours to fewer than 12, will not be entitled to any tuition refund. Changing from full-time to part-time enrollment may jeopardize the student's financial aid awards.

It should be noted that there will be instances of withdrawal when the amount of earned aid will be disproportionately lower to the adjusted charges than the original amount of aid was to the original charges. In such instances, the student will be required to make payment using the student's own funds. Also, there will be instances when, before withdrawal, a student will have been given a refund by the Business Office because payments and financial aid in total exceeded the charges assessed, but upon withdrawing, the student will have to repay some or all of these funds.

The following sections describe how each of the major sources of financial aid will be handled when a student withdraws.

Federal Aid

Federal Aid includes Subsidized Direct Loan, Unsubsidized Direct Loan, Perkins Loan, Parent Loan (PLUS), Pell Grant, and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG).

A student who withdraws during the first 60 calendar days of a semester or 28 calendar days of the summer term (beginning with the first day of classes) will have his/her federal aid adjusted based on the amount of time the student was enrolled. The amount of federal aid a student "earns" will be directly proportional to the percentage of time enrolled. For example, a student with $5,000 of federal aid withdrawing on the 30th day of a 100-day semester will have earned 30% ($1,500) of his/her federal aid. A student with $3,000 of federal aid who withdraws on the 19th day of a 47-day summer term will have earned 40% ($1,200) of his/her federal aid.

There is no adjustment of federal aid after 60 calendar days in the semester or after 28 calendar days in the summer term.

The unearned amount of federal aid will be returned to the source using the following distribution priority: Unsubsidized Direct Loan, Subsidized Direct Loan, Perkins Loan, Parent Loan (PLUS), Pell Grant, and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG).

Example: A student has $5,000 of federal aid consisting of a $2,500 Subsidized Stafford Loan, $1,500 Pell Grant, and a $1,000 SEOG. The student earns 30% ($1,500) with 70% ($3,500) unearned. Using the prescribed distribution, the Subsidized Direct Loan of $2,500 would be returned, and then $1,000 of the Pell Grant would be returned.

The College will return unearned federal financial aid funds as determined by a Federal Refund Calculation Worksheet. If a student has received a refund which includes unearned federal financial aid, the student may also be responsible for the return of this unearned aid. In this instance, if loan funds are involved, the student can repay these funds to the lender in accordance with the original terms of the loan contract. If the Pell Grant or SEOG is involved, the student must make a cash payment to the College, which in turn, would be returned to the source or make a satisfactory repayment agreement with the U.S. Dept. of Education. It should be noted that the USDOE only requires the student to repay 50 percent of the unearned portion of the Pell Grant and the SEOG due from the student. The College will notify the student of any unearned federal aid the student is responsible for repaying.

State of Florida Aid

Included in this category are all grants and scholarships administered and/or sponsored by the State of Florida.

As previously mentioned, a student is not eligible for any Florida-sponsored aid if the student withdraws before the end of the drop-add period. The drop-add period ends on the 9th calendar day for each semester and the 3rd calendar day for the summer term. A student who withdraws after the drop/add period will not see an adjustment of their state aid.

Flagler College Aid

Lewis-Wiley Scholars Scholarship. Two awards are given annually to high school seniors who have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement and leadership. The awards are based on merit without regard to financial need. The funds for the Lewis-Wiley Scholar Awards are provided by a private trust established by Mr. Lawrence Lewis, Jr., and his sister, Mrs. James L. Wiley.

Athletic scholarships. The Director of Intercollegiate Athletics will make a determination as to the amount, if any, of the scholarship will be adjusted to the student account.

Resident Advisor Grant. The amount of eligibility will be in direct proportion to the number of days served. For example, a student receiving a $1,200 Resident Advisor Grant who serves 40% of the semester will be allowed to retain $480 of the grant. The Dean of Student Services is responsible for making the final determination on the amount.

Employee Tuition Grant. The Vice President of Business Services, in consultation with the President, will make a determination of eligibility on a case-by-case basis.

Tuition Exchange Grant. Since the Tuition Exchange Grant covers the full cost of tuition, the amount of the grant that is earned will be directly proportional to the amount of the student’s adjusted tuition charges.

All other Flagler College aid will be handled on the same basis as federal funds. This aid includes need-based grants, memorial scholarships, Presidential Grant, Young Life Grant, President’s Council Scholarship, etc.

Grants, Scholarships, and Loans

Grants From Other States, Private Source Scholarships and Loans

These items of aid will be handled in accordance with the policy of the sponsoring organization. Lacking specific guidance, the following applies:

• A student who does not begin attending classes will have the scholarship or loan canceled.
• A student who begins attending classes and withdraws will be allowed to retain the full amount of the scholarship or loan for the semester.
• If there is any question as to the intent of sponsoring organization, the College will contact the organization for guidance.

Students no longer need to submit a written refund request for overpayments to a student's account. Students who have financial aid that exceeds the student's tuition charges or other payments, will have the credit balance in their student account, automatically transferred to the student's Flagler OneCard account. All students must activate their Flagler OneCard account and choose their specific preference as to how they will receive their monies.

Flagler OneCard