Withdrawal or Leave of Absence

Prior to the start of the quarter: Students who withdraw or go on Leave of Absence (LOA) before the first day of instruction will have 100% of their financial aid canceled and (if applicable) refunded to the appropriate aid program(s).

If, after the quarter begins, a student completely withdraws or goes on LOA during any point in the quarter, the university is required to use a specific formula established by the federal government to calculate the amount of financial aid that the student has earned up to the point of their withdrawal or leave date. If a student receives more aid than what they earned, the excess funds will need to be returned to the federal government. Further, the responsibility for returning unearned aid is jointly shared by PAU and by the student. Be aware that sometimes the returning of funds creates a balance owed to the school by the student that must be repaid.

The Office of Financial Aid will notify the student if any financial aid funds will need to be returned. In addition, if a student borrowed federal loans while attending PAU, they will be required to complete Loan Exit Counseling online at https://studentaid.gov/exit-counseling. This loan exit counseling will ensure that the student understands their rights and obligations of borrowing through the Federal Direct Student Loan program.

The PAU Registrar will report the change in enrollment status to the Student Loan Clearinghouse, which in turn reports the information to the student’s loan servicer. It should also be noted that if a student’s leave of absence (LOA) is longer than 180 days, PAU is required to report the student as withdrawn. As such, the student may be on an approved Leave of Absence (LOA) at PAU, but their enrollment status at their loan servicer may be "Withdrawn", causing them to go into loan repayment status.