Refund Policy and Schedule

Refunds due to overpayment

Refund requests should be sent through the refund request form accessed through my.mtholyoke. For students who are living off campus or Frances Perkins students who are awaiting living expenses, refunds will be done as quickly as practicable, following the add/drop period. Students who are studying abroad should complete a study abroad refund request.

Refunds for withdrawal or leave

The amount of your refund will be affected by the date of withdrawal or leave.

Before the first day of classes

You will be refunded 100% of your previously paid tuition, room and board if the official withdrawal/leave date is before the first day of classes.

After the semester has started

When a student withdraws or takes a leave of absence after the semester has started, Student Financial Services (SFS) is notified by the Office of Academic Deans of the official withdrawal or leave date. For students receiving federal financial aid, SFS then completes a federal Return to Title IV computation and state aid adjustment, if required. If a student is a recipient of financial aid from the College, SFS also completes an institutional financial aid withdrawal calculation taking into account:

Any Title IV funds that will be returned as “unearned,” and
The College’s refund schedule for adjusting billed charges.

Financial aid is adjusted, and if there is a remaining credit on the student’s account, the funds are sent to the student or parent, depending on the source of payment for the student account.

If a student “earned” less aid than was disbursed, per the Return to Title IV calculations, the institution is required to return a portion of the funds, and the student is required to return a portion of the funds. It is possible that when Title IV funds are returned, if the student borrowed federal loans, the student borrower may owe a balance to the institution. If a student earns more in federal aid than was disbursed (rare), the institution would owe the student a post-withdrawal disbursement which must be paid within 120 days of the student’s withdrawal. Students are notified by email regarding revisions to their financial aid.

Charges will be adjusted per the tuition refund schedule.

Tuition refund schedule

Week	Tuition, room and board
1	90%
2–3	75%
4–5	50%
6–7	25%

There is no refund of the Student Government Association fee if a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes.

Refund schedule: Fall semester 2023

Tuition, room and board	Percent refunded	Effective date of leave
Week 1	90%	9/6/2023–9/12/2023
Weeks 2–3	75%	9/13/2023–9/26/2023
Weeks 4–5	50%	9/27/2023–10/10/2023
Weeks 6–7	25%	10/11/2023–10/24/2023
After week 7	No refund	10/25/2023–forward

Refund Schedule: Spring semester 2024

Tuition, room and board	Percent refunded	Effective date of leave
Week 1	90%	1/23/2024–1/29/2024
Weeks 2–3	75%	1/30/2024–2/12/2024
Weeks 4–5	50%	2/13/2024–2/26/2024
Weeks 6–7	25%	2/27/2024–3/11/2024
After week 7	No refund	3/13/2024–forward

Determining the withdrawal or leave date

If you decide to withdraw or take a leave of absence, the official withdrawal or leave date will be determined by the Office of Student Success and Advising. Typically, this determination is made once a withdrawal or leave request is received from the student and in consultation, as needed, with the faculty, health services and/or counseling service, depending on the circumstances.

The College reserves the right to withdraw or place students on leave for academic deficiency, nonpayment of the student account bill, nonattendance, failure to register, illness or disciplinary infraction. In these cases, the withdrawal/leave date will be determined by the Office of Student Success and Advising or the authorized College office initiating the withdrawal/leave.

How withdrawal or leave affects Title IV financial aid (federal funds)

Per federal regulation, when a recipient of Title IV (federal) grant or loan assistance withdraws or takes a leave of absence from the College during a semester, the College must determine, per a federal formula, the amount of federal aid that the student may retain as of the withdrawal date. Any federal aid the student may not retain according to the federal refund policy must be returned to the federal government.

Up through the first 60% of the semester, the amount of federal funds a student may retain is based on the number of days the student was enrolled in the semester. After the 60% point in time of the semester, a student is eligible to retain all of her federal aid for that semester.

The responsibility to repay any federal aid is shared by the College and the student.

The College’s share to repay is the lesser of:

The total amount of federal aid to be returned, or
The College charges multiplied by the percentage of aid that must be returned.

The student's share is the difference between the aid that must be returned and the College's share.

Example: If the semester is determined to be 100 days long (including weekends but removing any break of five days or more) and a student withdraws on day 20 of the semester, 20% of the federal aid is earned and 80% must be returned. Once the sixtieth day is reached, all federal aid is considered “earned” and retained by the student.

The College’s share of federal aid must be returned to the Title IV programs in the following order:

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan
Federal Direct Student Loan
Federal Perkins Loan
Federal Direct PLUS
Federal Pell Grant
Federal SEOG Grant
Other Title IV loan or grant assistance

The College must return its share of federal aid within thirty days after the withdrawal date. Any federal aid that the student must return resulting from a loan is subject to the conditions and terms of the promissory note. If a student must repay a share of federal grant aid, the College may allow her to make payment arrangements with the College, in compliance with federal regulations.

Sample Title IV refund worksheets are available upon request via email to Student Financial Services.

State grants

State grants will be refunded according to the rules of the individual state programs.

Institutional grants and loans

After the federal refund calculation has been determined, any remaining refund will be distributed in the following order:

Mount Holyoke College Grant
Mount Holyoke College Loan
Parent/student alternative loans

Example: The twentieth day of classes is considered within the first three weeks so 75% of tuition, room and board charges would be removed. Institutional aid would then be adjusted as well, such that the percentage of the costs that the family was originally expected to pay would remain the same after all charges and financial aid are adjusted. For example, if the family was originally expected to pay 20% of the original charges less original financial aid, they would be expected to pay 20% of the adjusted charges less adjusted financial aid.

Scholarships and tuition assistance grant adjustments for nonacademic leaves

Undergraduate students awarded a merit-based scholarship or Tuition Assistance Grant who enter as first-time, first-year students are eligible to receive the scholarship or grant funding for a maximum of eight semesters. For students who leave the College during a semester, the scholarship or grant will be adjusted by the same percentage as the tuition. For example, a 75% reduction in tuition for a leave that starts in the first three weeks will result in a 75% reduction in the scholarship or grant. Students who may need an additional semester of academic work at MHC (ninth semester) may request the unused portion of their scholarship or grant for their ninth semester.

Students who also have need-based assistance will have aid adjusted based on federal aid requirements (see Title IV financial aid) and institutional policies.

Contact us

Office of Student Financial Services

The Office of Student Financial Services administers financial aid and student billing.