Refund Policy

A student may withdraw from one or more courses during the add/drop period by doing so on Student Planning. After the add/drop period, a student must contact the associate dean or registrar. A student who wishes to withdraw completely from the School of Law must submit a statement to that effect to the associate dean.

Refunds are based on Quinnipiac University Policy and the return of unearned Title IV funds as required by the U.S. Department of Education.

For purposes of clarification and for reference, the policies described below have been categorized into two groups:

  1. Quinnipiac University Policy
  2. Return of Unearned Title IV Funds — Federal Policy

Federal guidelines require that any unearned Title IV funds be returned to the program(s) that provided the aid. The required order of returning refunds is as follows: Title IV, HEA programs, other federal and state programs, university grants, private or institutional financial assistance, and finally to the student. Examples of refund calculations are available upon request.

Quinnipiac University School of Law Refund Policy

The policy described below gives consideration to two groups:

  1. prior to the start of classes and
  2. after the start of classes

Refund Policies, Prior to the Start of Classes

A new incoming student who has rendered either of the $400 or $600 tuition deposits and then withdraws from the university will forfeit the deposits. In all instances noted above, any balance on the account, less financial aid, will be refunded.

Refund Policies, After the Start of Classes

Law students who withdraw from any of their classes after the published “Last Day for Late Registration/Schedule Changes” will not be entitled to any adjustment of their charges for tuition and fees.

Students who affect a complete withdrawal or leave of absence from the university, regardless of the reason, including medical, will be granted a pro-rata refund of tuition and fees, less an administrative fee of $100. Late fees are non-refundable either in total or pro-ration. The pro-rata refunds will be computed on the following basis:

Fall and Spring Terms:

Withdrawal first week 80%
Withdrawal second week 60%
Withdrawal third week 40%
Withdrawal fourth week 20%
Withdrawal after fourth week 0% 

Summer Term:

Withdrawal first week 80%
Withdrawal second week 50%
Withdrawal third week 30%
Withdrawal fourth week 0%

The date of withdrawal for purposes of calculating the refund is the date on which the student makes written notice to the associate dean’s office for withdrawal. No retroactive withdrawals are permitted for refund purposes. The refund schedule listed above is applied regardless of the reason for withdrawal, including medical reasons.

Dismissals and Suspensions

A student who is either dismissed or suspended by the university for any reason during either academic semester will receive a refund based on the applicable refund percentage in effect at the time of the student's dismissal or suspension (first four weeks). After the fourth academic week, the refund policy as stated above will be applied. In addition, a student who is dismissed or suspended will be charged all administrative fees and board fees as prescribed.

Payment Plan

Students using the university's payment plan who withdraw during the refund period (first four weeks) should note that their forfeiture will be computed on the full amount charged regarding tuition and fees, and not on the amount remitted via the payment plan. In addition, the $75 service charge for using the payment plan will also be included in the list of charges. After the fourth week, the balance due under the payment plan will be due and payable on the date of withdrawal.

Return of Title IV Funds

In addition to the university’s refund policy that prorates tuition charges during the first four weeks of the semester, the university is obliged to return to the federal government that portion of federal aid that is unearned. An award of Title IV funds is based on a payment period or term.

Please note: It is important to understand that if your withdrawal date is on or before the completion of 60 percent of the semester, “unearned aid” will result. If you have received a refund as a result of aid applied to your account prior to your withdrawal date, you will have a balance due the university on your student account.

A withdrawal requires the university to calculate the unearned portion of aid awarded as of the student's official withdrawal date.

The university must determine the following:

  1. The official date of withdrawal. A student must formally withdraw or request a leave of absence, in writing, to the associate dean of the law school. The date of withdrawal must be documented.
  2. The payment period, term identified.
  3. The aid that has been disbursed or could have been disbursed.
  4. The percentage of federal aid earned by the student as of the withdrawal date.
  5. The percentage of Title IV aid that has not been earned by the student.

The percentage of a payment period completed is determined by dividing the number of calendar days in the payment period into the number of calendar days completed as of the withdrawal date.

The university will notify the student if the student is eligible for a post withdrawal disbursement.

  1. The offer, (if eligible) of post withdrawal disbursement, will be made in writing within 30 days of the withdrawal date.
  2. The student must respond within 14 days of the notification.
  3. The university will disburse funds within 90 days of the date of withdrawal.
  4. If the student does not respond, no portion of the late disbursement that is not credited to the student's account will be disbursed.
  5. The student will be notified electronically or in writing of the outcome of the late disbursement.

The total amount of unearned assistance to be returned is the lesser of (a) the total amount disbursed minus the total amount earned or (b) the institutional charges times the percentage of aid unearned. The student is responsible for returning the remainder of unearned aid that is calculated by taking the total of unearned aid and subtracting the amount the university is required to return.

The student retains Title IV eligibility for 45 days during which the student must:

  1. Repay in full.
  2. Make satisfactory arrangements to repay the university.
  3. Make satisfactory arrangements to repay the U.S. Department of Education.

The university is required to report all overpayments to NSLDS and must report within 30 days after:

  1. The student takes timely action on the options offered.
  2. The student fails to repay the overpayment or sign an agreement with the university within a 45-day period.
  3. The student fails to meet the terms of the agreement signed with the school.

Title IV funds must be returned in the following order:

  1. Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans
  2. Subsidized Federal Direct Loans
  3. Federal Direct Plus Loans
  4. Other Title IV assistance