Changing Enrollment

Because financial aid is initially awarded prior to registration, your initial financial aid award is based on the assumption that you will maintain full-time enrollment status.

Fall & Spring Terms

  • Undergraduate full-time enrollment = 12+ credit hours
  • Graduate full-time enrollment = 9+ credit hours

If you drop classes and fall below full-time course enrollment status

  • Your financial aid award may be adjusted/decreased based on the number of credits you keep for the term
  • Therefore, if you received a refund before the census date, you may have to return some or all of that refund
  • We are required to award aid based on your recorded enrollment hours as of the census date
  • If you are below full-time, your aid can be adjusted to ensure that we are compliant with federal and other regulations
  • Performing these adjustments ensures that we will remain eligible to continue offering financial aid packages to students in the future

If you earn an F or U grade

  • Your instructor will record the last date of your attendance/participation to comply with federal student financial aid reporting requirements
  • You cannot receive financial aid for a course you did not attend and participate in
  • If it is determined that you did not attend and participate in the class, you may have to pay back your financial aid funds depending on your last date of attendance
  • Read more about Unofficial Withdrawal

Undergraduate Students

  • If you have 11 hours or less after the census date, your aid may change. The Office of Financial Aid will notify you if your aid has been changed. This notice will be sent after the census date.

Graduate Students

  • The Office of Financial Aid will notify you if your aid has been changed. This notice will be sent after the census date.
When Adjustments to Aid are Made
  • Each semester, your enrollment hours are set as of the census date. After the census date, we will review your enrollment status to ensure that your financial aid is awarded based on your recorded enrollment hours as of the census date
  • As long as you are at full-time status after the census date, no changes will be made to your award due to enrollment status
  • Since your enrollment hours are set at the census date, your financial aid can not increase due to courses added after census
  • Exceptions include:
    • If you have a partial withdrawal from one or more courses but remain concurrently enrolled, your financial aid may be adjusted if the course(s) you withdrew from have not started yet. If you add an additional course to replace a course you withdrew from before it began, your financial aid may be increased back up to what it was a census. Your financial aid will not be able to surpass the awarded amount based on your enrollment status at census.
    • If you were not eligible for direct loans prior to census and registered after census for at least a total of 5 hours (GRAD) or 6 hours (UNDERGRAD), you may now be eligible for direct loans. Please contact Niner Central at 704-687-8622 or ninercentral@charlotte.edu to determine your eligibility.

Repaying Your Loans
  • If you do not attend school or if you fall below half-time enrollment for at least 6 months, you need to begin repaying your loans. Your lender will contact you when repayment begins
  • If you return to school and/or enroll at least half-time within 6 months, your loans will remain in deferment, but it is your responsibility to make sure the lender is aware you have re-enrolled

Withdrawing from Classes
  • You may be billed for a portion or all of your financial aid if you withdraw from the university
  • The bill calculated as a result of withdrawal will depend on the effective date of withdrawal, the percentage and amount of institutional refund, and/or the last date of class attendance
  • Read more about withdrawing from classes