Policies and Disclosures


Attendance Policy

Attendance Matters is an NIU initiative to help students understand the importance of regular attendance and their college success. Sometimes students run into legitimate problems that affect attendance. However, you may not realize that federal financial aid can be reduced or canceled if you withdraw from or fail a class that you have never attended. If you are having problems or an illness that is affecting your ability to attend class, ask for help from your teacher or counselor. They may have options to help you!


Verification Process

Verification is a process used to confirm information submitted on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to ensure its accuracy. Any student who completes a FAFSA may be selected for verification by the FAFSA processor for the U.S. Department of Education (ED). ED uses data models to select students. Selected students are assigned verification groups that determine the data elements each student has to verify. The list of items to verify will be different across selected students. NIU must follow all federal verification requirements for any selected students. In addition to students selected by ED, NIU selects a small number of students based on conflicting or inconsistent information or data that appears to have been submitted in error.

The data elements you may be asked to verify includes but is not limited to the IRS adjusted gross income and taxes paid, income earned from work (for non-tax filers), certain untaxed income items, household size, number in college, receipt of food stamps/SNAP benefit, child support paid and any other inconsistent or conflicting information. If you are selected for verification you should not assume that your data is incorrect or that you have done anything wrong. Once you are selected for verification, please do not make changes to your FAFSA data. Send the requested documents to us and we will make any necessary changes.

Read more about the Verification Process

If you are selected for verification the documents you must provide with any necessary instructions will be posted on your MyNIU "Tasks Tile". You will receive an email from Financial Aid and Scholarship Office anytime an item is posted to your "ToDo" list. Beginning in late January preceding a new academic year, NIU loads FAFSA data received from ED into our student system and updates the To Do List. For original FAFSAs for admitted and current students this occurs most business days. FAFSA data received by NIU before a student is admitted is held in a temporary file and loaded once the student is admitted. If a student’s name, social security number or date of birth is different on the FAFSA than in the NIU student system, the data is manually reviewed prior to processing.

If a student makes changes to FAFSA data, NIU will receive a change file. That file may require additional review before it is processed and the To Do List is updated. This generally occurs within 3 business days but may take longer during peak processing periods. If you make changes to your FAFSA after you have received a financial aid offer or disbursement, all future disbursements will be put on hold until verification is complete. If that verification results in a change to your aid eligibility you will receive a new financial aid offer in no more than two weeks.

If information contained on a federal tax return must be verified, personal copies of a tax return cannot generally be used. ED only allows schools to use information from the IRS. There are two allowable options:

  1. Update income information on your FAFSA with the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. This is the best option for timely submission. The tax return has to be processed by the IRS before you can utilize this option.
  2. Request an IRS Tax Return Transcript information.

Verification Processing Time and Deadlines

If selected for verification, please submit all requested documentation as quickly as possible so that your aid application may be processed in a timely manner. Verification review will begin once all verification documents are received. While verification review is generally complete in three business days, during peak processing times, particularly late summer, verification review may take up to two weeks.

  • You will not receive an official Financial Aid offer and financial aid will not be disbursed to your student account until verification is complete.
  • For all forms of federal aid, verification documents must be received in sufficient time to complete verification review, make any required changes to your FAFSA, receive the updated FAFSA output from ED and offer and originate aid by the last day of the last term within an offer year that you will attend. Although we will make every effort to serve you through your last day of attendance in an offer year, the verification, packaging and origination process could take up to two weeks. If verification is completed after the end of the term we cannot guarantee that you will be able to receive any financial aid. View a list of term dates.
  • To receive a Pell Grant, if you are a student with a Pell eligible EFC on your last day of attendance, you may submit verification documents within 120 days of your last day of attendance for an offer year.
  • The State of Illinois Monetary Award Program, MAP Grant, also requires compliance with federal verification regulations. Each year the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, ISAC, establishes billing deadlines for both Fall and Spring. Students who submit verification documents after November 1 may lose any Fall MAP Grant eligibility and students who submit verification documents after April 1 may lose Spring eligibility.

We are happy to provide an estimate of your financial aid eligibility based on unverified information upon request.

Verification requirements may be waived for students who are only eligible for a PLUS loan, unsubsidized Direct Loan, private scholarships and/or forms of aid that do not require a FAFSA to establish eligibility.



What is Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)?

Federal and state regulations require that students are making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to be eligible to receive financial aid including student loans and federal campus work-study. There are three standards of SAP that are measured at the end of each semester to establish eligibility for aid for the next semester the student will attend. The standards reviewed are cumulative GPA, rate of completion (Pace) and maximum timeframe. This policy can be found in both paper and digital copies and is applied to all students regardless of financial aid status.

About SAP Standards

SAP Standards

The current standards are listed below. Future eligibility criteria for GPA, pace, and/or maximum timeframe may change based on changes in federal regulation or guidance, NIU academic policy or practice, changes to program criteria and length or other factors. Any change will generally coincide with the evaluation at the end of a fall semester. As progress is evaluated at the end of a semester, the resulting status is the status effective for the next semester the student attends even if the student stops out.

Undergraduate Standards

Cumulative GPA

All students who are candidates for academic dismissal due to a semester or cumulative GPA have failed to meet the GPA standard of SAP even if the student is reinstated. Other undergraduates:

  • 1.60 or higher for students who have attended three or fewer semesters and have earned fewer than 45 credit hours
  • 2.00 or higher – all other undergraduates

Restart GPA: Although NIU, under specific conditions, may restart (reset) your cumulative GPA, the satisfactory academic progress policy cannot include grade amnesty. The cumulative GPA used to determine satisfactory academic progress includes all courses taken at NIU since originally enrolled for your current degree. Satisfactory academic progress cumulative GPA only restarts when a degree is earned and a student begins work toward a new degree.

Incompletes and Grade Changes: A grade of I (incomplete) is assigned at the discretion of the instructor if a student is still active in a course, has the potential and opportunity to successfully pass the course and has been granted a course extension based on University policy. See course catalog.

A course earning a grade of I (incomplete) has been attempted but not completed, and will be treated as such when pace is calculated (e.g. as hours attempted but not earned). A course with a grade of I is an active and ongoing course with a valid status; therefore, the grade of I is not used in university GPA calculations (term, cumulative, SAP) until the incomplete grade is finalized. When an incomplete grade is finalized, it will be factored in the student’s cumulative GPA satisfactory academic progress calculation at the time of the next evaluation.

A grade that is assigned in error and later corrected or changed based on appeal will retroactively change the student's GPA and the student's satisfactory academic progress status for the respective and subsequent semester(s) will be retroactively reevaluated.

Pace

  • Earned hours must equal or exceed 67% of all attempted hours since beginning degree. 66.6 percent will be rounded up.
  • Credit hours for courses that are withdrawn, incomplete (grade of I) or have grades of F and U are counted as attempted hours but are not counted as earned hours.
  • Repeat courses will count in attempted hours each time the course is taken. If a course is passed more than once, the associated hours will only count in earned hours once.
    • In general, students may not repeat a course taken at NIU in which a grade of C or better was earned, unless otherwise stated in the catalog description of the course.
  • Audit courses are not counted in attempted or earned hours.

Maximum Timeframe

  • First baccalaureate degree - 180 attempted hours including transfer hours
  • Subsequent baccalaureate degree - Students who have previously been awarded a bachelor's degree and are admitted as an undergraduate student for the purpose of earning a subsequent bachelor's degree, classified at NIU as post-baccalaureate students, will have a maximum timeframe of 150% of the hours required to earn the subsequent bachelor's degree at the point the student begins the new degree program.

NIU does not offer non-credit remedial courses.

Graduate Standards

Cumulative GPA

  • 3.00 or higher

Incompletes and Grade Changes: A grade of I (incomplete) is assigned at the discretion of the instructor if a student is still active in a course, has the potential and opportunity to successfully pass the course and has been granted a course extension based on University policy. See course catalog.

A course earning a grade of I (incomplete) has been attempted but not completed, and will be treated as such when pace is calculated (e.g. as hours attempted but not earned). A course earning a grade of IP (in progress) has been attempted, but requires completion over multiple semesters. A course with a grade of I or IP is an active and ongoing course with a valid status; therefore, the grade of I is not used in University GPA calculations (term, cumulative, SAP) until the incomplete grade is finalized. When an incomplete grade is finalized, it will be factored in the student’s cumulative GPA satisfactory academic progress calculation at the time of the next evaluation.

A grade that is assigned in error and later corrected or changed based on appeal will retroactively change the student's GPA and the student's satisfactory academic progress status for the respective and subsequent semester(s) will be retroactively reevaluated.

Pace

  • Earned hours must equal or exceed 67% of all attempted hours since beginning degree. 66.6% will be rounded up.
  • Credit hours for courses with a grade of C-, D, F, U, WP, WF, I, IN, NR and NG are not considered successfully completed and are counted as attempted hours but are not counted as earned hours.
  • Courses with grades of A, B, C, P, S or IP have been successfully completed and are used to determine earned hours.
  • Repeat courses will count in attempted hours each time the course is taken. If a course is passed more than once, the associated hours will only count in earned hours once.
  • Audit courses are not counted in attempted or earned hours.

Maximum Timeframe

Degree Program Maximum Hours Attempted
Master's degree unless otherwise published in the Graduate Catalog or at www.niu.edu/financial-aid 58
Combined Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics and Internship Program 100
Master of Arts in Communicative Disorders with a specialization in Rehabilitation Counseling 80
Master of Arts in Psychology 72
Master of Arts in Teaching with a specialization in Elementary Education 70
Master of Fine Arts in Art 108
Master of Physical Therapy 80
Master of Public Administration 75
Master of Public Health 70
Master of Science in Applied Family and Child Studies 80
Master of Science in Education in Counseling 90
Master of Science in Education in Special Education 80
Master of Science in Nursing with a specialization in Nursing Education 72
Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling 84
Doctoral degree unless otherwise published in the Graduate Catalog or at www.niu.edu/financial-aid 150
Doctor of Audiology 180
Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision 203
Doctor of Philosophy and Psychology 192

All graduate course work, including SAL and master's credit hours, will be included when determining maximum time frame for Ph. D. students.

  • Graduate Change of Program: In the appeal process one change of graduate program will be considered. No appeal will be considered for additional graduate program changes.
  • Graduate Additional Degree: In the appeal process pursuit of a second master's degree will be considered. No appeal will be considered for additional master's degrees.

No appeal will be considered for more than one Ph.D.

Law Standards

Cumulative GPA

  • 2.20 or higher

Incompletes and Grade Changes: A grade of I (incomplete) is assigned at the discretion of the instructor if a student is still active in a course, has the potential and opportunity to successfully pass the course and has been granted a course extension based on University policy.

A course earning a grade of I (incomplete) has been attempted but not completed, and will be treated as such when pace is calculated (e.g. as hours attempted but not earned). A course with a grade of I is an active and ongoing course with a valid status; therefore, the grade of I is not used in University GPA calculations (term, cumulative, SAP) until the incomplete grade is finalized. When an incomplete grade is finalized, it will be factored in the student’s cumulative GPA satisfactory academic progress calculation at the time of the next evaluation.

A grade that is assigned in error and later corrected or changed based on appeal will retroactively change the student's GPA and the student's satisfactory academic progress status for the respective and subsequent semester(s) will be retroactively reevaluated.

Pace

Earned hours must equal or exceed 67% of all attempted hours since beginning degree. 66.6% will be rounded up.

  • Credit hours for courses that are withdrawn, incomplete (grade of I or IN) or have grades of F and U are counted as attempted hours but are not counted as earned hours.
  • Courses in which grades of A, B, C, D, P, S or IP have been successfully completed and are used to determine earned hours.
  • Repeat courses will count in attempted hours each time the course is taken. If a course is passed more than once, the associated hours will only count in earned hours once.
  • Audit courses are not counted in attempted or earned hours.

Maximum Timeframe

  • 135 attempted hours

About SAP Statuses

What are the SAP statuses and what do they mean?

Meet

SAP status for students meeting all standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Warning

A student who begins a semester meeting all standards but falls below the cumulative GPA and/or Pace standards at the end of the semester is placed on Financial Aid Warning. Students on Warning can continue to receive financial aid. A status of Warning is only valid for one semester. At the conclusion of the semester the status will change to Meet or Not Meet.

A student who begins a semester on Warning and achieves both the cumulative GPA and Pace standards by the end of the semester and is within maximum timeframe returns to good standing. The SAP status will change to Meet.

Not Meet.

Students who do not meet all standards of SAP at the conclusion of a semester of warning. Students with a status of Not Meet are not eligible for financial aid.

A student who attends a semester on Warning and does not meet all standards at the end of the semester is ineligible for state and federal financial aid. The SAP status will change to Not Meet. A letter and email will be sent to the student.

A student who exceeds maximum timeframe will also have a SAP status of Not Meet. NIU notifies undergraduate and graduate students when they are approaching maximum timeframe. However, federal regulations do not provide for a warning semester. Once a student exceeds maximum timeframe, the student is no longer financial aid eligible.

Plan

A student who is Not Meet(ing) SAP standards and is no longer eligible for financial aid whose academic performance was impacted by a special circumstance may appeal. Part of the appeal and approval process includes a plan to return to Meet(ing) the standards. If the appeal is approved, the student will have a SAP status of Plan. Students with a status of Plan are eligible for aid.

A student who attends a semester on Plan and meets all the SAP standards at the end of the semester will return to a status of Meet.

A student who attends a semester on Plan and does not achieve all the standards of SAP but who does meet the criteria established in the Plan will continue to have a status of Plan.

A student who enters a semester on Plan and does not meet all the SAP standards and does not meet or exceed the criteria of the Plan will lose eligibility for aid and will have a status of Not Meet.

Probation

A student who is Not Meet(ing ) SAP standards with an approved appeal who is able to achieve the SAP standards within one semester can have a status of Probation. Probation does require a written appeal based on special circumstances. It does not however require an academic plan. A status of Probation is only valid for one semester. If, at the end of a semester of Probation, a student is Not Meet(ing) all SAP standards, the student is ineligible for aid and assigned a status of Not Meet.

About SAP Evaluations

How and when is SAP evaluated?

SAP is evaluated at the end of each semester/payment period (including summer) for all students who enrolled for that semester/payment period regardless of whether the student applied for or received financial aid. The result of that evaluation determines a student’s SAP status and financial aid eligibility for the immediately following semester/payment period that the student attends.

About Reestablishing Eligibility

How can I reestablish eligibility for financial aid?
  • A student who loses financial aid eligibility and has a SAP status of Not Meet can attend, if otherwise allowed by NIU Academic and Student Conduct policy, without receiving financial aid. Once the student meets all SAP standards, the student will reestablish eligibility and have a status of Meet for the next the semester the student attends.
  • A student may file an appeal based on special circumstances.
    • If the student will be able to meet all SAP standards in one semester an academic plan is not required and students with an approved appeal will have a status of Probation.
    • If the student needs more than one semester to meet all SAP standards, an academic plan is required and student with an approved appeal will have a status of Plan.
Extenuating Circumstances

SAP appeals must be based on extenuating circumstances that could not have been anticipated by the student and impacted the student's ability to perform academically. Extenuating circumstances include but are not limited to: the death of a relative or close friend; an injury or illness of the student or a family member; personal or family crisis. Generally, poor academic performance due to a lack of effort or difficulty of courses during the semester is not a extenuating circumstance. However, other academic related circumstances such as time management difficulties, poor study skills, or lack of academic preparedness during the first undergraduate year of NIU attendance MAY be considered.

If a SAP appeal is approved, it is important to understand that the approval is based on the premise that the extenuating circumstance that prevented satisfactory progress has been resolved or the academic plan has been designed to accommodate the circumstance. For this reason, future appeals based on the same extenuating circumstance will generally not be considered.

Maximum Timeframe

Students should plan coursework to complete within maximum timeframe. Students have a generous but reasonable and finite number of attempted hours to complete their degree or lose financial aid eligibility.

For example, the maximum timeframe for undergraduate students is 150% of the hours required for a bachelor’s degree. The additional 60 credit hours, equivalent to two full academic years, can accommodate limited disruption in enrollment and/ or retaking classes as well as double majors and minors. The federal intent of maximum timeframe is to prevent students from continuing to add majors or change programs to delay degree completion and prolong receipt of financial aid. As students approach maximum timeframe, they are advised to determine the courses needed to complete all requirements for one major and only take courses for an additional major or a minor if maximum timeframe allows.

Undergraduate students may appeal maximum timeframe if a second major or a minor is required for the degree. One change in major for undergraduates or program for graduates may be considered a special circumstance. Changes of major or program that occur after an undergraduate student has attempted 120 hours or a graduate student has attempted 20 hours will only be allowed if recommended by an academic advisor and it is unlikely the student will be able to complete the current major. Undergraduate students who transfer to NIU and have transfer hours that do not apply to outstanding NIU degree requirements may also appeal maximum timeframe. For both change of major and transfer hours it is the responsibility of the student to document which courses do not apply to the current program.

Graduate Students

Graduate students cannot appeal maximum timeframe based on taking extra courses to maintain enrollment eligibility for assistantships or fellowships or taking coursework beyond the master’s level without being admitted to a post master’s program. Federal financial aid is for courses taken to meet degree requirements not courses taken for other enrollment purposes.

The maximum timeframe established for doctoral programs includes all hours attempted at the graduate level including those while enrolled as a student-at-large (SAL) or a master’s degree student. Many students take courses as a SAL or master level student that later meet the doctoral requirements. If a doctoral student exceeds the maximum time frame and has not exceeded 135 hours based on a combination of hours completed prior to acceptance into the doctoral program that meet doctoral requirements and hours attempted since admission to the program, the student can provide this information through the appeal process. Additionally, if the combination of courses attempted after completing a master's degree, including graduate student-at-large and doctoral courses, and the courses completed as a master's student that apply to the doctoral program is less than 150, or the maximum timeframe for the program, the student may appeal. The appeal will be approved and the plan will establish the new maximum time frame for the student.

Are there appeal limits?

Generally the same special circumstance cannot be used in more than one SAP appeal. If a student has an ongoing circumstance that prevents success, the student is advised to adjust enrollment and/or seek academic, medical and other support services. For example, if a full-time student has a chronic medical condition that results in the student withdrawing from one or more courses over multiple semesters and the student is, therefore, not meeting the completion rate/pace requirement, the student may need to register for a reduced course load for future semesters. Similarly, if work or family commitments cause a student to not successfully complete all courses for more than one semester, the student is advised to carefully evaluate the number of courses they can successfully complete based on other commitments before registering for future semesters.

Based on the circumstances of an appeal, the student’s academic record and the number of times a student has appealed, a student may be granted a terminal approval and plan. A terminal approval means that no further appeals will be considered during for the student’s current degree level. The student will be notified in writing of this status via email. If, at any future term the student does not meet the criteria of the plan or achieve the cumulative GPA and pace standards prior to exceeding maximum timeframe, the student will lose aid eligibility.

About Preparing an Appeal

What do I need to include in my personal statement?
What happened?
Explain the special circumstances (problem/incident) that led to your not meeting satisfactory academic progress. It is important that you outline the semesters, dates and time period involved. If you had multiple situations, explain all of them in detail.
How did it impact my academic performance?
Fully explain how your special circumstances impacted your academic performance.
What will be different?
Explain why future academic success will not be impaired by your special circumstance. Detail all corrective measures you have or will put in place to assure that you will return to and maintain satisfactory academic progress. Fully explain and document where possible, all tools and resources you will be utilizing.
What would be appropriate documentation?

Documentation may include, but is not limited to:

  • Death certificate, obituary
  • Divorce decree
  • Written statements on company letterhead from doctors, counselor, advisors etc. that reference your name, the diagnosis, dates of treatment and length that situation has or was occurring. If a family member’s health issue is part of your appeal provide similar documentation.
  • Reports of incidents such as police reports, insurance damage, bills for services related to an emergency
When and how will I be notified of the appeal decision?

The SAP Appeals Committee meets regularly to review appeals. You should plan for 2-3 weeks from the time you submit all required documents to hear the results of your appeal. It is important that you monitor your NIU student email and MyNIU as the appeal committee may request additional documentation. Appeal decision notifications are sent to your NIU student email.

When is the last date to submit a SAP appeal?
Fall 2023 Spring 2024 Summer 2024 Fall 2024
November 17 April 26 July 26 November 29

Dates are for students enrolled in Regular Session courses. Contact Financial Aid and Scholarship Office for deadline dates if you are enrolled in module, dynamic, early summer, or study abroad courses.


How does withdrawal and attendance affect my financial aid eligibility?

Title IV (Federal) funds are offered to a student based on the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the funds were offered. When a student drops, withdraws or ceases to attend class, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of the funds they were originally scheduled to receive. The Federal Return of Title IV (R2T4) Funds policy mandates that students who officially or unofficially withdraw from all classes are only eligible for the amount of aid earned up to the time of withdrawal.

Pell Attendance Requirement

Federal regulations require that you begin attendance in each class you are enrolled in for purposes of the Federal Pell Grant program. If you don’t begin attendance in all of the classes in which you are enrolled, your Federal Pell Grant may be reduced.

Effect on Loan Repayment

If NIU determines a student has withdrawn from all courses or ceases to attend at least half-time, we must update the student’s status in the National Student Loan Data System. The student will no longer have an in-school status or qualify for an in-school deferment. If the student has never entered a repayment status, the grace period will begin as of the reported withdrawal date.

Tuition and Fee Restricted Aid

Under qualifying circumstances, NIU reduces (refunds) original tuition and fee charges when a student drops or withdraws from courses based on the date of the drop/withdrawal. Learn more on the Office of the Bursar website.

Tuition and fee restricted aid including but not limited to the Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant, the Illinois Veterans Grant, the Illinois National Guard Grant, the Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver, NIU Tuition waivers and offers will be reduced if the aid exceeds remaining tuition and fee charges.

Other Grants, Scholarships and Private Aid.

You might also become ineligible for part or all of the assistance from other sources, such as merit-based scholarships and scholarships from private donors. The donor or organization will be contacted to determine how they want funds to be handled.


Return of Federal Financial Aid (Title IV) Funds

A student recipient of Federal Title IV funds (i.e., Federal Pell, SEOG or TEACH grants or Perkins, Direct or PLUS loans) who withdraws from the school before completing 60% of the term is subject to the Return of Title IV Calculation to determine the percentage of Title IV funds required to be returned to the federal government. The Return of Title IV calculation is a federally mandated formula to determine how much federal funding was "earned" up to the time of withdrawal.

The Title IV funds that were disbursed in excess of the earned amount must be returned to the federal government by the school and/or you. If you received a refund from financial aid, which was to be used for education-related personal expenses or housing expenses, you may be required to return a portion of those funds to the schoool. This portion represents funds that were intended to pay your education-related expenses through the end of the semester. The amount to be returned to the school will be determined by your institutional costs, refunds you might have received for non-school expenses and the funds that must be returned to the government.

Types of Withdrawals
  • University Withdrawal – Officially withdrawing from all courses for a semester.
  • Course Withdrawal – Officially withdrawing from one or more courses but maintaining enrollment in at least one course.
  • Unofficial Withdrawal - Ceasing to attend all courses without officially withdrawing or earning credit in at least one course.

NIU performs the federal return calculations for University Withdrawals and Unofficial Withdrawals.

  • University Withdrawal calculations are processed throughout the semester as students withdraw.
    • The withdrawal date is the date the student initiates the withdrawal process.
  • Unofficial Withdrawals are identified at the end of the semester by reviewing grades and attendance. Attendance is reviewed for students who do not officially withdraw but fail to earn a passing grade for a semester. If NIU cannot document attendance in at least one course, the return calculation is required.
    • The withdrawal date is the midpoint of the semester unless a later attendance date can be documented.
    • Students who have a combination of grades that are all W, WP, WF, N, F, I, U or any other NIU grade that does not result in earned hours, are reviewed.

More information is available on University and Course Withdrawals policies and procedures.

Return Calculation

The amount to be returned to the federal government will be calculated from the date you officially withdrew from classes or, in the case of an unofficial withdrawal, the last date you were involved in an academically related activity. An official withdrawal occurs when a student follows the published process for withdrawing from the school prior to the end of the term.

Federal programs included in the Return Calculation are the Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, TEACH Grant, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant, Unsubsidized Direct Loan, Subsidized Direct Loan, Direct Grad PLUS Loan and the Direct Parent PLUS Loan.

Earned Aid is based on the percent of the term attended and Unearned Aid on the percent not attended. A student who withdraws at the 40% point of the semester has earned 40% of eligible aid and 60% of eligible aid is unearned. The number of completed days (days prior to withdrawal date) is divided by the number of days in the term to determine the percent completed. Students who attend through or past the 60% point have earned 100% of eligible aid.

Eligible aid is the aid that has been or could have been disbursed.

R2T4 calculations:

  1. Total eligible aid x the earned percentage = earned aid
  2. Total eligible aid – earned aid = aid that must be returned
  3. Total Institutional Charges x unearned % = amount NIU will return
  4. Aid that must be returned – amount NIU returns = amount reported as a student return

Any unearned Title IV aid must be returned to the federal government within 45 days of the date of the determination of your withdrawal. Any unreturned loan funds must be repaid in accordance with the terms of the student's promissory note(s). Funds are returned by repaying the following sources in order up to the net amount received from each source:

  • Unsubsidized Direct Stafford loans (other than PLUS loans)
  • Subsidized Direct Stafford loans
  • Direct PLUS loans (parent or graduate)
  • Federal Pell Grants
  • Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
  • Federal SEOG
  • Federal TEACH Grants
How is Attendance and Last Day of Attendance Determined?

Federal guidance defines attendance in a course as an activity academically related to the course.

Examples of activities that constitute attendance:

  • physically attending a class or lab,
  • submitting an academic assignment,
  • taking an exam,
  • interactive tutorial or computer assisted instruction that is part of course delivery, or
  • participating in an online course discussion related to course content.

Examples of activities that do not substantiate attendance:

  • logging in to a course shell without active participation,
  • downloading course material, and
  • academic advising.

If attendance or the last day of attendance in a course with a withdrawal, incomplete or non-passing grade must be determined and the course has a Blackboard section, Blackboard will be reviewed to determine if a grade, recording of a course activity or attendance confirmation exists.

If the course does not have a Blackboard section or Blackboard does not document attendance, the instructor will be contacted to confirm the last day of attendance.

If the instructor does not confirm attendance, the Pell recalculation and R2T4 calculation will assume the course was not attended.

The student may appeal a determination of non-attendance or the last day of attendance by submitting proof of a course activity, such as a graded test, to the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office.


Post-Withdrawal Disbursement

If a student has accepted Title IV, HEA financial aid by the date of the withdrawal, but the financial aid has not disbursed, the student may be eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement. If the amount disbursed to the student is less than the amount the student earned, and for which the student is otherwise eligible, he or she is eligible to receive a post-withdrawal disbursement for the earned aid that was not received.

Under these circumstances, an R2T4 calculation must be performed to determine whether the student is actually eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement. NIU must make this determination within 30 calendar days after the student withdraws.

The following conditions apply when processing a post-withdrawal disbursement:

  1. A student must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress according to NIU and federal policy.
  2. A student must have accepted aid by the date of the withdrawal.
  3. If, before the student’s withdrawal date a loan offer has been accepted, the loan must also have been originated by NIU.

If a student is eligible for a Post-Withdrawal Disbursement of loan funds, they will be offered to the student within 30 days of the date the school determined the student withdrew. Students will be given a minimum of 14 calendar days to respond to the post-withdrawal disbursement offer. Generally, accepted loan funds will be disbursed within two weeks of the date the student responds and all information and documents, including entrance counseling and the master promissory note if required, are complete. Loan funds accepted must be disbursed within 180 days of the date the school determined the student withdrew.

Any Title IV grant funds a student is due as part of a post-withdrawal disbursement will be disbursed within 45 days of the date the school determined the student withdrew. NIU may automatically use all or a portion of the post-withdrawal disbursement of grant funds for tuition and fees. However, NIU needs the student’s permission to use the post-withdrawal grant disbursement for all other school charges. If the student does not give his/her permission, the student will be offered the funds.

If Title IV funds that are part of a post-withdrawal disbursement create a credit balance, the balance will be issued to the student within 14 days.

Back to top