Withdrawing From Classes

Official Withdrawals

It is the responsibility of any student wishing to withdraw from UH Hilo to follow the official withdrawal process with the University. Students wishing to withdraw from the University should contact the Records Office to initiate the withdrawal process. The University’s policy on complete withdrawal may be found in this Catalog.

Withdrawal from all classes during a term may result in a change in institutional charges for the term. Please consult this Catalog for the complete Tuition and Fees Refund Policy.

Withdrawal from all classes during a term may also result in a change in the financial aid award for that term. Federal financial aid regulations have created a Return of Title IV Funds Policy. This policy states that students who withdraw or cease attendance before the 60 percent point of the term (as calculated by the number of days in the term) will have their financial aid reduced.

Upon withdrawal, the Financial Aid Office will calculate, from the number of days in the term that the student attended prior to withdrawal, the percentage of the term that the student completed. This percentage will be applied to the amount of aid received for the term with the student being able to retain only the amount of aid for the percentage of the term actually completed. The unearned portion of the financial aid award must be returned to the federal, state, and institutional programs that have been awarded. If excess financial aid funds have been refunded to the student, a portion of these funds may also need to be returned to the financial aid programs awarded. This may result in large sums being owed to both UH Hilo and federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs.

Students considering withdrawal from classes should consult the Financial Aid Office prior to initiating the withdrawal process. Withdrawal can have a significant impact on institutional charges, a current financial aid award, as well as future financial aid eligibility (see the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy).

Unofficial Withdrawals

Students who cease attending all classes during a term may also be subject to the Return of Title IV Funds Policy referenced above. In all cases, official withdrawal procedures should be followed.

Also, students who fail all classes during a term will be reviewed to determine if the failure was due to not attending the class. Students who stopped attending classes before the end of the term will be treated as an unofficial withdrawal.