Refund Policies
Refunds from overpayment on student accounts
If financial aid exceeds assessed charges, refund checks will be available in the Business Office within 14 days after the financial aid disbursement. Students will be notified by email for pick up and must present their YHC ID. If the refund check is not picked up within 21 days of the notification, the refund check will be mailed to the student’s permanent home address.
Refund checks will be mailed to the student’s permanent home address if a Federal Plus loan was part of the student’s financial aid package.
Withdrawal and refund
A student is considered in attendance and is responsible for any tuition balances due until they have formally notified the College in person of their withdrawal. Refunds are made to the student on the basis of the date they have formally notified the College of their withdrawal. Students who formally withdraw from the College before the official start of the semester will not be liable for tuition or fees.
Institutional refund policy
If a student withdraws from the College, refunds for tuition charges for each semester will be made according to the following schedule:
• Within the 1st week of class: 75% Adjustment
• Within the 2nd week of class: 25% Adjustment
• Within the 3rd week of class: 10% Adjustment
• After the 3rd week of class: No Adjustment
Charges are pro-rated on a weekly basis from the first scheduled class period until actual withdrawal. Withdrawals made any time during the week are pro-rated to the Monday following the week of withdrawal. Any portion of a week is charged as a full week.
There are no refunds for temporary absences, for labs, special fees, or courses dropped after the drop/add period or for charges to any student suspended for disciplinary reasons.
Refund of institutional aid is calculated on the same basis as tuition (stated above). In no case will institutional aid generate a refund greater than the amount of funds already received from the student.
No refund for any deposit is given to a student dismissed for disciplinary reasons.
Withdrawal can affect student financial aid and create a balance due. Failure to pay any balances due for any semester will result in a STOP being placed on the student account. Students with a STOP on their account will be restricted from registering for classes in future semesters. Transcripts and diplomas will not be released until the account is paid in full. Uncollectible balances are subject to be turned over to a commercial collection agency and may be reported to a national credit bureau. All costs, expenses, and fees incurred by the College in collecting or attempting to collect a past due account are the responsibility of the student.
To resolve any past due accounts, please call the Business Office at (706) 379-5119.
Housing and meals refund policy
Refunds for meal charges are prorated to the Monday following the withdrawal date. In no case will institutional aid generate a refund greater than the amount of funds already received. No refund is given for housing. No refund for meal charges will be given to any student dismissed for disciplinary reasons.
Return of title IV funds policy
This policy applies to students who officially or unofficially withdraw from the College during an academic semester and have Title IV federal financial aid funds as part of their financial aid package. For definitions of “official” and “unofficial” withdrawals, see the Academics Section of the YHC Catalog. The term “Title IV Funds” includes the following programs: FFEL program loans (Subsidized Stafford, Unsubsidized Stafford, and Parent PLUS loans), Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), National SMART Grant and Federal Work‐Study.
Date of the withdrawal will be determined by the Registrar. In case of an unofficial withdrawal, the last date of attendance will be set at the midpoint of the semester or the last documented date of attendance (whichever is later). The College has a policy to identify unofficial withdrawals with the cooperation of the following departments: Vice President for Academic Affairs Office, Registrar’s Office, Business Office, Financial Aid Office, and Student Development Office. If an unofficial withdrawal is not determined during the academic semester, an audit of students with failing grades at the end of each semester will be done by the Financial Aid Office.
The Return of Title IV Funds policy assumes that students earn aid based on the period of time they remain enrolled and attending classes. During the first 60% of the semester, students earn Title IV funds in direct proportion to the length of time they remain enrolled and attend class. Students who attend class beyond the 60% point earn all aid for the semester. The percentage of the semester in which students remain enrolled is derived by dividing the number of days the student attended by the number of calendar days in the semester, excluding breaks of at least five calendar days. When a student withdraws from the College, whether officially or unofficially, unearned Title IV funds, with the exception of Federal Work‐Study, will be returned to the applicable Federal Aid Program and the student’s account will be charged. Unearned aid is the amount of disbursed Title IV aid that exceeds the amount of Title IV aid earned by the student.
Once a determination of a withdrawal is made by the College, the Financial Aid Office will calculate the return of Title IV funds according to Federal regulations and will promptly notify the withdrawn student in writing if there are any changes in financial aid funds. The Financial Aid Office will request the Business Office make any refund payment due to the appropriate federal program and the student account will be charged. If the student withdraws during the post‐withdrawal period, the Financial Aid Office will recalculate aid in accordance with the federal regulations and a new award letter will be issued to the student. For post‐withdrawal disbursements of loan funds, the Financial Aid Office will provide the student/parent the opportunity to cancel all/part of the loan. In accordance with federal regulations, return of funds is allocated in the following order: Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, Subsidized Stafford Loan, Plus Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Academic Competitiveness Grant, National SMART Grant, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG).
Further details for the calculation of the return of Title IV funds are available upon request from the Financial Aid Office or the Business Office.
Reductions in course load
A reduction in credit hours at any time during the semester may cause a reduction in financial aid, which, in turn, may cause the student to have an outstanding balance due to the College. Disbursed aid might be reduced if an adjusted cost of attendance results in an aid award that exceeds financial need and/or cost of attendance for the term. Eligibility for awarded aid that has not been disbursed at the time of the reduction in course load will be reevaluated and paid according to the level of enrollment at the time the funds are to be disbursed. For example, a student must be enrolled at least half‐time at the point of a federal Stafford loan disbursement. Another example is a student must be enrolled full‐time (at least 12 hours) on the Georgia Tuition Equalization Grant/H.O.P.E. deadline date. This date is posted in the Guide to Student Life. Please note that a reduction in credit hours can occur if a student fails a short-term class which is a prerequisite for their next short-term class.
Students who reduce course load should consult with the Financial Aid Office regarding their eligibility for financial aid awards.
