Withdrawals and fee refunds
Complete withdrawal or dropping of courses can be done through banweb.pdx.edu or in person with the Office of the Registrar. For tuition and fee impact, see refund schedule at pdx.edu/student-financial/refunds. Refund consideration is automatic; no special request is necessary.
Refunds of special course fees must be approved by departments. Complete withdrawal or dropping coursework does not cancel a student’s obligation to pay a student loan, balance of account, or any other financial obligation owed the University. Students with such outstanding obligations will have any refund due them applied against the obligation.
1. Official withdrawals
Students receiving financial aid who need to completely withdraw from classes during a term should officially withdraw (see the instructions in the Schedule of Classes). By using the official withdrawal procedures, students will have tuition refunds calculated by the Student Accounts Department. Regardless of “official withdraw” or Financial Aid, Student Financial Services will still calculate any possible refunds.
Students receiving financial aid who completely withdraw up to the 60 percent point of a term, will be identified. Financial aid staff will use the federal Return of Title IV Funds formula to calculate the percentage of financial aid earned versus the percentage of aid that must be returned to federal aid program accounts. In some cases, the Return of Title IV Funds calculation may take all of a student’s tuition refund to repay federal aid accounts. In addition, students may be responsible for repayment of federal financial aid program funds. Funds are returned to the financial aid programs from which they were awarded, starting with the loan programs.
Students who are considering withdrawing from a term should contact staff in the Office of the Registrar.
2. Unofficial withdrawals
Students who stop attending without officially withdrawing from Portland State University are considered to have unofficially withdrawn. Students who unofficially withdraw may receive all X or M grades at the end of a term. A grade of X is defined as no basis for grade or non-attendance. A grade of M designates a missing grade.
Students who receive financial aid for a term and unofficially withdraw are identified at the end of each term. Each student receiving financial aid who has unofficially withdrawn must provide proof of attendance for the term(s). Students who provide proof of attendance may be subject to the Return of Title IV Funds policy. Students who fail to provide proof of attendance will have all financial aid received repaid to federal accounts (including PLUS loans) and a university accounts receivable will be established.
Refund calculations are based on total tuition and fees. Special fees are nonrefundable. Refunds are computed from the date of official withdrawal or drop; they are not based on when attendance in class ceased. Students who are delayed in withdrawal process for reasons beyond their control may petition for an earlier drop date via a Deadline Appeals petition obtained through the Office of the Registrar. Refund consideration is automatic; no special request is necessary. Action to process a refund cannot begin until after the end of the fourth week of the term.