Step #8 Withdrawal & Reduction of Hours

Withdrawing from Washington State or reducing your hours of enrollment may have both academic and financial aid consequences. We encourage you to understand the consequences before you decide to do so.

Reducing Your Hours of Enrollment

There are consequences for students who change their enrollment or withdraw from all classes at WSCO. It is highly recommended that the student contact the Office of Financial Aid before withdrawing or dropping hours. It is the student’s responsibility to seek out this information and understand how dropping hours or completely withdrawing from classes will affect his or her financial aid. Students should also reference the Consumer Information Guide for details.

A student’s financial aid is awarded based on full time enrollment (12 or more credit hours). A student’s financial aid will be determined based on the student’s enrollment status as of the census dates (typically the 15th day) of the semester. If a student adds or drops classes anytime up to these dates, financial aid will be adjusted according to the schedule below.

Federal Pell Grant eligibility requirements and amounts are determined by Congress and the U.S. Department of Education and are subject to change.

Enrollment Status Schedule

  • 12+ credit hours or more = Full Time Enrollment
  • 9-11 credit hours = ¾ Time Enrollment
  • 6-8 credit hours = ½ Time Enrollment
  • 1-5 credit hours = Less than ½ Time Enrollment
Impact on Federal Pell Grant

The Office of Financial Aid will adjust Pell Grant amounts each semester based on attendance reporting (submitted by instructors) until the census date of each semester. Students will receive notice by email and mail if they have been reported as not attending and their aid may be affected. The student will have the opportunity to contact the instructor if the student believes there is an error in the attendance reporting. Financial aid will not be adjusted after the census date of each semester unless the student performs a full withdraw. In the case of a full withdraw, the Return of Title IV policy would be used to determine aid amounts.

Impact on Scholarships & Other Grants

If you’re enrolled in less than 12 credit hours, it is important that you review the terms of your institutional or Foundation scholarship to see if you’re still eligible for the award. Grants, such as Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG) and Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG), are not exclusive to full-time enrollment and can be used if you’re enrolled in less than 12 credit hours. Consult the Financial Aid Office for more information.

Impact on Federal Direct Loans

You must be enrolled and billed for 6 or more credit hours of enrollment to establish eligibility. If your reduction of financial aid is larger than your reduction in tuition after you withdraw from a course, you’ll be billed for the difference.