Financial business services for all students at Cumberlands
The Student Financial Center at University of the Cumberlands is the one-stop shop for all students to manage the financial side of a college education. Here you can work through the financial aid process, seek out grants and scholarships, manage payments, and even apply for graduation.
Student Refunds & Withdrawal Policies
Title IV Authorization
What are Title IV Funds?
Title IV funds are federal student aid funds administered by the U.S. Department of Education. The Department of Education regulations only allow schools to use your Federal Student Aid/Title IV Funds to pay for current Allowable academic year institutional charges unless you grant your school permission to apply these funds to non-allowable charges as well.
Title IV Funds Include:
- Federal Pell Grants
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
- Federal Direct Subsidized Loans
- Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans
- Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans
- Federal Direct PLUS Loans
*Federal Title IV funds do not include scholarships from the University of the Cumberlands or other private sources.
Allowable Charges:
- Tuition
- Mandatory Fees
- Room and Board
Non-Allowable Charges Include:
- Bookstore charges
- Parking Fines
- Student Fines
- Course Fees
- Student Medical Insurance (required for some athletes)
The Department of Education requires that Title IV funds only be applied to allowable charges. If your total Title IV funds exceed the total of your qualifying charges, the University of the Cumberlands must refund the excess to you, unless you give permission to the University of the Cumberlands to use it for non-allowable charges.
If you do not grant authorization, your federal financial aid and loans cannot be used to pay for charges other than Allowable Charges (tuition, fees, and room and board). Any excess aid will be refunded to you. It is the student’s responsibility to check and make payments for Non-Allowable Charges.
Title IV Authorizations are voluntary, and will remain in effect throughout your time at the University of the Cumberlands.
If you want to make changes, you may update your preference through the myUC Portal – Financial Aid. Please contact the Office of Student Accounts if you have specific questions at studentaccounts [at] ucumberlands.edu (studentaccounts[at]ucumberlands[dot]edu).
Withdrawal Policies
Academic Registration at the University of the Cumberlands demonstrates a student’s acceptance and desire to participate in class whether in-person or online. If a student chooses to officially withdraw from the University, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office of Academic Affairs and complete all required withdrawal processes. If a student fails to complete all of the necessary steps to officially withdraw, he/she forfeits their right to a refund/reduction in tuition and fees. For more information, please reference the Withdrawal Policy in the student handbook.
Financial Aid Withdrawal and Non-Attendance Policies
According to the Department of Education Federal Regulations, Title IV funds (Pell, SEOG, TEACH Grants, Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized student loans, plus loans) are offered to students with the expectation they will attend the classes for which they enrolled. Part of the awarding criteria for Financial Aid is the number of credit hours a student registered for (enrollment status) along with the duration of enrollment (semester). Each semester consists of two eight-week and/or a 16-week term.
Attendance is confirmed before the end census date (Drop/Add period). Courses with confirmed attendance through census determine enrollment status for financial aid purposes. If a student has not attended a class at the census, the student will be administratively withdrawn as a "no-show" from the course and will not receive any federal or state aid for the course.
Changes to enrollment status and your offered aid can occur when altering your class schedule. Suppose you are considering dropping a course before the census date or dropping more credit hours than what is added back (i.e., drop 3 credit hour course but only add a 1 credit hour course). In that case, any offered aid is refigured on the REVISED enrollment status, resulting in a change from full-time to part-time and reducing offered aid for the semester.
Official Withdrawals
When a student officially withdraws from all courses before completing the semester, our office is required to complete a recalculation, for all Title IV funds, as of the Last Date of Attendance (LDA). The University of the Cumberlands is not required to monitor student attendance. Instructors must record academic activity (including online, student teaching, internships, practicum, and so forth) through the census period. If a student receives a failing grade in a course, an instructor will be required to enter the last date of the academically-related activity for that course. The last date of academic activity is the date used for Return to Title IV recalculations.
The date of notification is when a student begins the withdrawal process or the date, as determined by the University of the Cumberlands, that the student otherwise provided official notification in writing or orally of their intent to withdraw.
How to Withdraw from Classes
Students that wish to officially withdraw should contact their student success coordinator.
- On-Campus Undergraduate: studentsuccess [at] ucumberlands.edu (studentsuccess[at]ucumberlands[dot]edu )or 606-539-4230
- Online Undergraduate: sll [at] ucumberlands.edu (sll[at]ucumberlands[dot]edu) or 606-539-4646
- Online Graduate: gss [at] ucumberlands.edu (gss[at]ucumberlands[dot]edu) or 606-539-4539
Unofficial Withdrawals
Students that complete an academically related activity during a period of enrollment and later withdraw or stop attending without proper notification from all their courses will be evaluated for Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4). If one instructor reports a student attended through the end of the period, no R2T4 would be required. Similarly, if the student never attended, they are not eligible for Title IV Aid, and no R2T4 would be necessary. Students that the University of the Cumberlands withdraw for non-attendance will have an LDA that is either the midpoint of the payment period or the last date of an academically related activity in which the student participated.
Return of Federal Title IV Aid Funds
At the University of the Cumberlands, students withdrawing from all courses either officially or unofficially that received Federal Title IV funds, federal regulations require a specific refund calculation, also known as a Return to Title IV (R2T4) calculation. It is required by federal statute to recalculate federal financial aid eligibility for students who withdraw, are dismissed, or cease attending before completing 60% of a payment period (semester/term). Suppose a student withdraws on or before the 60 percent point in time. In that case, a portion of Federal Title IV aid funds awarded to a student (Federal Direct Unsubsidized, Subsidized loans, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Direct Parent (PLUS) Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, and the Federal TEACH grant) must be returned in accordance with the provisions of the Higher Education Act, as amended. The return of federal student aid funds may result in the student owing a balance to the University and/or to the U.S. Department of Education. Calculations that result in a credit balance will be issued a refund within 14 days or sooner as of the date the R2T4 is completed.
The calculation that determines the amount of aid earned by the student for the period is a percentage of earned aid using the following Federal Return of Title IV Funds formula:
Percentage of the payment period completed in which courses are offered in modules = the number of days completed up to the withdrawal date divided by the payment period's total days. (Any break of five days or more is not counted as part of the number of completed days or total days in the payment period.) This percentage is also the percentage of earned aid.
The Calculation that determines the Funds returned to the appropriate federal program using Federal Return of Title IV Funds formula:
Aid to be returned = 100% of the aid that could be disbursed minus the percentage of earned aid; multiplied by the total amount of aid that could have been disbursed during the payment period or term.
If a student earned less aid than was disbursed, the Institution would be required to return a portion of the funds, and the student may be required to return a part of the funds as well. The University of the Cumberlands will return the amount of Title IV funds for which it is responsible as soon as possible, but no later than 45 days after The University of the Cumberlands determines or should have determined that the student withdrew. Keep in mind that when Title IV funds are returned, it may create a balance on your student account that you will be responsible for making repayment arrangements.
The return of Federal Title IV Aid funds is allocated in the following order:
1. Loans:
- Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans
- Subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans
- Federal Perkins Loans
- Federal Direct Parent (PLUS) Loans received on behalf of student
2. Remaining Funds:
- Federal PELL Grants
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG)
- Federal TEACH Grants
Return of Title IV Example:
A sophomore withdraws three weeks into the semester. The student was charged full-time undergraduate tuition of $4,938. A $2,250 subsidized and $2,000 unsubsidized Direct Loan paid the majority of charges; the student paid the remainder from savings and has a $0 balance on the student account on the day of withdrawal. There are 110 total days in the semester; the student attended 37 days. Percentage of earned aid = 37/110 = 33.63% earned.
- Unearned aid = 100% - 33.6% (earned) = 66.4% unearned
- $4,250 (aid received) X 33.63% = $1,428 earned.
- $4,250 - $1,428 = $2,822 unearned (Aid that must be returned).
- Amount of Aid to be Returned by School = Institutional charges multiplied by the unearned percentage; $4,938 X 66.4% = $3,278.83
- Since $3,278 exceeds the amount of unearned aid, the lesser number is used.
$822 Subsidized and $2,000 Unsubsidized Direct Loan disbursement would be reversed from the student account, creating a balance owed to the University of the Cumberlands. Student receiving tuition and fee refunds will be credited according to the published refund schedule under “Refund Policies.”
Post-Withdrawal Disbursement (PWD) Overpayments
If a student earned more aid than was disbursed, the Institution might owe the student a post-withdrawal disbursement. A post-withdrawal disbursement must be made from available grant funds before available loan funds. Loan funds require a confirmation from the borrower that they still wish to have the loan funds disbursed. Loan funds that are a second or subsequent disbursement are not eligible for distribution. Grant funds not credited to the student's account must be disbursed to the student as soon as possible, but no later than 45 days after the date of the Institution's determination that the student withdrew.
The University of the Cumberlands will provide written notification within 30 days of the date of the Institution's determination that the student withdrew that:
- Identifies the type of loan and the amount that will either be applied to the student's account and/or refunded back to the appropriate borrower(s)
- Requests the acceptance or declination of the post-withdrawal loan disbursement
- Advises the borrower(s) about their repayment obligation
- Gives the borrower(s) a response deadline.
Confirmations received before the deadline will be processed by the University of the Cumberlands as soon as possible, but no later than 180 days after the Institution's determination, the student withdrew. IF PWD funds are declined or no response is received, no loan funds will be processed.
Overpayments
In the event of an overpayment to a student, The University of the Cumberlands will return all funds to the appropriate Federal Aid Program(s) as mentioned above, resulting in the student owing the Institution. The University of the Cumberlands utilizes a standard collections procedure for students with account balances. The University of the Cumberlands understands that it can report the students who fail to take positive action to NSLDS and refer them to the Default Resolution Group for collection if it were not repaying the funds itself. Inadvertent overpayments will be returned within 45 days of the date of the Institution's determination that the student withdrew.
State Financial Aid
The student's percentage of state financial aid shall remain the same as earned under Title IV programs for the same payment period. However, students registered for a 16-week term schedule at census one will be eligible for state financial aid. If classes are added after census one, students will not be eligible for state financial aid.
When a student withdraws from classes after census one, state financial aid will not be included in the return calculation. Students not enrolled at census one will receive state financial aid based on census two enrollment.
Deceased Student
If the University of the Cumberlands determines that a student has died during a period, they must perform a Return Calculation. If the calculation indicates that an institution is required to return Title IV funds, the school must return the Title IV funds for which it is responsible.
The student's estate is not required to return any Title IV funds disbursed to the student. The University of the Cumberlands will not report a grant overpayment for a deceased student to National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), nor refer an overpayment to Debt Resolution Services.
The regulations governing the Direct Loan programs provide for a discharge of a borrower's obligation to repay a Federal Direct Loan if the borrower dies (including a Direct PLUS loan borrower's obligation to repay if the student on whose behalf the parent borrowed dies). If the University of the Cumberlands is aware that a student who has died has any outstanding Title IV loan debt, they may contact the student's estate and inform it of its actions to have that debt canceled.
Suppose a Title IV credit balance created from funds disbursed before the student's death exists after the completion of the Return calculation and Institutional refund calculation. In that case, the University of the Cumberlands will resolve the credit balance in one of the following ways:
- By Cash Management regulations, paying authorized charges at the Institution (including previously paid charges that are now unpaid as a result of the Return of Title IV funds by the Institution)
- Returning any remaining credit balance to the Title IV programs
Refund Policies
Eligible credit balance refunds are processed on a weekly basis and will reflect on your student account as a negative balance. A credit balance occurs when excess funds typically from cash, federal and/or state financial aid including grants and scholarships, etc. are applied to the student’s account and exceeds the amount of institutional charges (tuition, fees, room, and board, etc). Credit balances created by institutional grants or scholarships are non-refundable. We reserve the right to review any credit balance created on a student account by an add, drop, or withdrawal from university courses. Students enrolled in eRefunds are notified by email at their official University account when a refund has been processed.
Refunds from a financial aid source begin processing during the third week of classes each term.
- This does not necessarily mean your financial aid will disburse during the third week of classes.
- Be sure to have all necessary paperwork completed soon as it is requested and by the dates posted.
- You will receive an email when your financial aid is disbursed. The Office of Student Accounts then has up to 14 days to issue a refund. We will process all refunds as quickly as possible.
- Refunds are processed only after funds are disbursed throughout the semester/bi-term.
Sign your Title IV authorization to ensure that all charges are paid
- Bookstore charges/ institutional charges cannot be covered by financial aid unless a Title IV authorization is on file.
If you receive a refund, be sure to check your student account to ensure that all charges were covered. Due to Federal Title IV guidelines, all charges may not have been covered and you may still have a balance due on your student account.
If you are expecting to receive a refund from a dropped class.
- PLEASE CHECK BEFORE DROPPING A CLASS
- Financial aid may need to be reduced due to dropping a class, which could result in a balance owed on your student account. Please contact us to see how a drop will affect your aid before making your decision.
If a payment is submitted with a credit/debit card to your student account, the credit/debit card will be refunded first before crediting a direct deposit account or printing a check.
- Be aware that any credit/debit card transaction on your student account will be credited first when a refund is processed.
- If another individual or business entity has made a payment on your student account using their credit/debit card, that individual or business entities’ card will be refunded first before refunding a direct deposit account or printing a check.
If you have been issued a refund but it has not been received
- Direct deposit refunds will usually be declined during processing if an error is detected. If a direct deposit refund is sent in error, it will be returned to the university. This process can take up to two weeks. If returned, it will be applied back to the student account and the refund will be reissued. If this happens you will receive an email to update your direct deposit information or a check will be printed.
- If a check has been mailed and you have not received it:
- This is likely due to an incorrect address in the system. Please ensure your address is correct with the Registrar’s Office.
- It will likely be returned to us in the mail. When this happens, you will be contacted to provide a current address.
- We CANNOT reissue a check until it has been mailed for at least 14 business days.
If you are receiving a Parent PLUS refund
- Permissions given by the parent/guardian who secured the PLUS loan will determine whether the parent/guardian or the student will receive the refund.
- If the parent/guardian chose to receive the refund, a check will be printed and made payable to them.
Refund Schedules
A student is not eligible for any financial aid prior to the 1st day of class attendance. All on-campus students will follow the 16-week refund schedule.
16-Week Session
| Official Date of Withdrawal | Tuition & Fee Assessment | Tuition & Fee Refund Amount |
| Jan. 17 and prior | 0% | 100% |
| Jan. 18 - Jan. 24 | 40% | 60% |
| Jan. 25 - Jan. 31 | 60% | 40% |
| Feb. 1 - Feb. 7 | 80% | 20% |
| After Feb. 7 | 100% | 0% |
Bi-Term 1 Session
| Official Date of Withdrawal | Tuition & Fee Assessment | Tuition & Fee Refund Amount |
| Jan. 17 and prior | 0% | 100% |
| Jan. 18 - Jan. 24 | 40% | 60% |
| After Jan. 24 | 100% | 0% |
Bi-Term 2 Session
| Official Date of Withdrawal | Tuition & Fee Assessment | Tuition & Fee Refund Amount |
| March 14 and prior | 0% | 100% |
| March 15 - March 21 | 40% | 60% |
| After March 21 | 100% | 0% |
*All on-campus students will follow the 16-week refund schedule.
16-Week Main Session
| Official Date of Withdrawal | Tuition & Fee Assessment | Tuition & Fee Refund Amount |
| Jan. 17 and prior | 0% | 100% |
| Jan. 18 - Jan. 24 | 40% | 60% |
| Jan. 25 - Jan. 31 | 60% | 40% |
| Feb. 1 - Feb. 7 | 80% | 20% |
| After Feb. 7 | 100% | 0% |
*All on-campus undergraduate students follow the 16-week session tuition refund policy.
To be eligible for a refund of room and board fees, the student must follow the official housing withdrawal procedures outlined in the student handbook. Students who unofficially withdraw from the University forfeit their right to a refund, whether full or prorated. Any student removed from University housing for disciplinary action will be responsible for paying all room and board charges for the active semester.
16-Week Session
| Official Date of Withdrawal | Tuition & Fee Assessment | Tuition & Fee Refund Amount |
| September 6 and prior | 0% | 100% |
| September 7 - September 13 | 40% | 60% |
| September 14 - September 20 | 60% | 40% |
| September 21 - September 27 | 80% | 20% |
| After September 27 | 100% | 0% |
Bi-Term 1 Session
| Official Date of Withdrawal | Tuition & Fee Assessment | Tuition & Fee Refund Amount |
| September 6 and prior | 0% | 100% |
| September 7 - September 13 | 40% | 60% |
| After September 13 | 100% | 0% |
Bi-Term 2 Session
| Official Date of Withdrawal | Tuition & Fee Assessment | Tuition & Fee Refund Amount |
| November 1 and prior | 0% | 100% |
| November 2 - November 8 | 40% | 60% |
| After November 8 | 100% | 0% |
*All on-campus students will follow the 16-week refund schedule.
If you are expecting a refund from an overpayment of a financial aid source, the quickest and most efficient way to receive your funds is through direct deposit.
- To sign up for direct deposit (eRefund) log into your myUC portal. Click "My Finances" then choose "Electronic Refunds" from the right menu. To watch our eRefund tutorial video click here.
- Ensure all account information is entered correctly. If the direct deposit/ACH refund is rejected for any reason including an invalid account number or incorrectly entered account number, a non-refundable returned check fee of $25.00 will be applied to the student account.
- You must be the owner or co-owner of the bank account and the account must be a US bank account.
- If the system were to reject your direct deposit information due to any of the above reasons, a check will be printed. Please ensure that your address is correct with the Registrar’s Office to ensure proper delivery.
- Please note, a rejected direct deposit/ACH refund will result in a $25 returned check fee.
- Once your direct deposit refund has been processed you will receive an email. It will then take 3-5 business days to post into your bank account.
If you are not signed up for direct deposit/ACH, your refund will be sent to you by check. Please ensure your address is correct in your myUC portal or with the Registrar’s Office to ensure proper delivery.
1098-T Information
Form 1098-T is an IRS tax form that our university files, which reports students' eligible tuition payments. We report this form for every student currently enrolled that is making qualifying payments.
- Tuition
- Qualifying Fees
The 1098-T form will be available to all students via ECSI after January 31st. You may access your 1098T statement by visiting https://heartland.ecsi.net/ and navigating the following steps:
- Click “Find Your Tax Document”
- Click “I need my 1098-T Tuition tax statement”
- School Search: University of the Cumberlands
- Enter your first and last name
- Enter Social Security Number
- Zip Code (home address zip code)
- Click “I’m not a robot”
- Click “Continue”
**University of the Cumberlands cannot advise any student receiving this tax form regarding its filing. You will need to seek the advice of a tax professional.**
**We must have your social security number or tax identification number by December 31st for you to receive your 1098T**