Tuition Adjustment

Beginning with the first day of classes, if you drop below full-time status, or below your originally registered credit level, your tuition may be adjusted.

Note that if you drop and then add the same number of credits after classes begin, your tuition may still be adjusted. Only if you drop and add the same number of credits on the same day before midnight (ET) will you receive $0 in tuition adjustments.

Adjustments for tuition will be determined on the effective drop date. Any adjustment of charges will be made according to Penn State's Tuition Adjustment Policy. The longer you stay in the course, the higher the percentage of tuition that you will be charged. You can find tuition adjustment timing and percentages for your classes in LionPATH by selecting Enrollment and then Drop Classes, and then selecting the “Tuition Calendar $” link in the "Tuition Calendar" column for each course. 

Be aware of the financial implications of withdrawing! Completing a withdrawal will most likely impact your eligibility for financial aid, and in many cases, this results in financial aid being returned to the lender. This can create a balance on your account, which, if not paid, will result in a default.

Adjustment of your tuition is based on the date of the last class you attended (last time you logged in and actively participated) — provided an official Withdrawal Form is received by the University Registrar within one calendar month of that date; otherwise, the adjustment will be based on the date your official Withdrawal Form is filed with the University Registrar.

If you meet the withdrawal conditions, you are entitled to receive an adjustment of charges for tuition for the semester in accordance with Penn State’s tuition adjustment schedule.

  • If you are receiving financial aid, you are expected to complete all the courses you started. Students who do not finish all credits started put their current and future aid eligibility in jeopardy by not completing “Satisfactory Academic Progress” for aid purposes. For up-to-date policy information, please visit the Office of Student Aid website.
  • If you plan on withdrawing during the semester, you must follow the withdrawal procedures established by the University.
  • Your tuition reimbursement will follow Penn State’s tuition adjustment schedule. 

  • To remain eligible for federal aid during the semester, you must be “attending” classes, taking exams, and completing required course work.
  • The 1998 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act requires the University to calculate a Return of Federal Student Aid Funds if you withdraw (officially or unofficially) from all courses on or before attending 60 percent of the semester.
  • With a pro rata schedule, the percentage of the semester attended is used to calculate the amount of your earned/unearned federal aid funds. The percentage of semester attended is calculated by using the number of days the student attended and the total number of days in the semester.
  • The unearned portion of your federal aid funds will be returned to the appropriate aid program(s). The funds are returned in the following order:
    • Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
    • Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan
    • Federal Graduate PLUS Loan
    • Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan
    • Federal Pell Grant
    • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

You are responsible for payment of any balance due after the required return of federal aid funds.

If you stop attending all your classes without officially withdrawing, you will be subject to returning your federal aid funds at the end of the semester, based on the last documented date of attendance as determined by Penn State. 

If you have a Pennsylvania State Grant and you withdraw or stop attending your classes, please contact the Financial Aid team to find out how your grant may be affected.

Any balance remaining in your account from all tuition and fee adjustments will be returned to all other aid sources, based on the following “other aid” refund calculation:

(Other aid disbursed ÷ total aid disbursed) x adjustment = refund to other aid source

Any other aid refund will be distributed to the appropriate aid sources in the following order:

  1. Short-term loan (not considered in aid calculation)
  2. University loans
  3. University scholarships
  4. Other grants
  5. Private scholarships

Other aid sources should be adjusted up to the amount of each aid source. Your account will not be debited to satisfy the “other aid” refund. 

If a credit balance remains in your account after the return of the required federal aid funds, state grant funds, and institutional and other aid funds, the balance will be distributed to the student, up to the amount the student paid for the semester.

If you would like to retroactively withdraw from the University for a semester that has ended, the first step is to talk with your academic adviser. General information on the petition process for retroactive withdrawals is available on the University Faculty Senate website.