Financial Aid

Cost of Attendance Policy 

Various Student Populations

Determining eligibility for financial aid at California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) largely depends on the cost of attendance (COA). CSUCI provides a detailed breakdown of all necessary expenses for undergraduate and graduate students. These budgets are designed to provide students with an accurate projection of reasonable costs and to enable the financial aid & scholarships (FAS) office to formulate an appropriate aid package. CSUCI creates separate budgets for undergraduate and post baccalaureate students.

The COA is based on the cost of a student’s tuition and fees and estimated cost of books, course materials, supplies and equipment, living expenses (food and housing), transportation, miscellaneous personal expenses and Title IV loan fees for the academic year (fall and spring semesters). Costs for dependent care and disability-related expenses may be added when self-identified with the exception of professional licensure and certification students. The costs for each category are determined annually through a data-driven review of consumer and student surveys to ensure they support a moderate standard of living.

Undergraduate:

This budget is for both stateside and extended education students. There are different COA’s based on student’s tuition and fees and living arrangements (on campus, off campus and with parents).

Post Baccalaureate:

This budget is for students pursuing a:

• Second Bachelor.
• Credential Prerequisite.
• Credential - Students eligible for the cost of obtaining a first professional credential will have the average costs added to their COA.
• This component can be included for two semesters in a student’s COA.
• Graduate.
• Doctoral.

How Budgets are Derived and Updated

The CSUCI chancellor’s office (CO) collects student data annually through the Student Expenses and Resources Survey (SEARS), which provides an average estimated student budget based on the system-wide and campus levels. Basic Cost of Attendance Components: The following cost components must be included when constructing the student’s COA or budget:

• Tuition and Fees and other university fees (direct costs). These are subject to change without prior notification. These include the following:
  • Tuition Fee
  • Associated Student Fee
  • Health Facilities Fee
  • Instructionally Related Activities Fee
  • Materials, Services and Facilities Fee
  • Recreation & Athletic Fee
  • Student Body Center Fee
  • Student Health Services Fee

• Books, course materials, supplies and equipment (estimated/indirect costs). These are estimated based on CSUCI budget ranges. Includes documented rental or purchase of a personal computer

• Living Expenses: Food and Housing (estimated direct/indirect costs). There are four budgets:
  • Living with Parents: Based on SEARS data, the food and housing allowance is combined.
  • Living on Campus: Based on an average of all campus housing costs and the highest meal plan which includes a 21-meal-perweek
  • plan. On campus housing is for students only.
  • Living off campus: Based on SEARS data, includes separate allowances for food and housing.
  • Living in housing located on a military base.

• Transportation (estimated indirect costs). An allowance for a student’s transportation to and from their residence, classes and work (bus fare, gasoline, tolls, parking, etc.). It does not include vehicle payments, insurance, repairs or license fees.

• Miscellaneous Personal Expenses (estimated indirect cost). This category includes clothing, personal care, cell phone plans and healthcare costs not covered by insurance.

• Title IV Loan Fees (estimated average). These fees are derived from the prior year average loan fees for both student loans and Parent PLUS loans.

• Professional licensure, certification or a first professional credential costs for a program requiring them for employment in the field of study (estimated).

Budget Restrictions

Less Than Half-Time (LTHT) Students: The COA for LTHT students must include only the following budget components:

• Tuition and fees.
• Books, course materials, supplies and equipment.
• Transportation.
• Professional licensure, certification or a first professional credential costs if the academic program leads to a professional licensure,
• certification or credential.
• Dependent care, disability-related expenses, study abroad expenses and cooperative education costs (if applicable upon request).

Under the statute, living expenses (food and housing) may be (but are not required to be) included for a LTHT student up to three semesters or the equivalent, with no more than two semesters being consecutive, if the student has such costs. CSUCI may include these costs on a case-by-case basis. Miscellaneous personal expenses cannot be included for LTHT students.

Budget Appeals

COA adjustments can be made on a case-by-case basis for a range of added expenses not covered in the student’s standard budget as long as the adjustments fit into one of the statutorily defined categories.

Annual COA budgets are updated on the CSUCI Financial Aid & Scholarships website: https://www.csuci.edu/financialaid/Cost_of_Attendance.htm

Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Process Overview and Responsibilities

It is the policy of the California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) to develop standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in accordance with federal requirements. The University’s SAP policy measures quantity (number of credits completed vs. those attempted), quality (grade point average), and maximum time frames for completion and measures progress incrementally. Financial aid applicants must comply with the SAP policy as a condition of initial or continued eligibility. The financial aid and scholarships (FAS) office will review SAP every academic year at the end of the spring semester.

Because CSUCI has chosen to evaluate SAP on an annual basis, students are not placed on a SAP warning status. However, a courtesy notice will be sent to students flagged for being below the minimum SAP qualitative requirement, who will be notified via email to comply with AB 789. 

At the end of the spring semester, if a student is not making SAP, they will be placed on SAP suspension. Students have the right to appeal a decision of ineligibility to continue to receive financial assistance. All SAP Appeals must be submitted before the deadline date. In addition, some students may also be required to submit an academic plan. The SAP calculator tool will be used to project if the student will need to also include an academic plan.

Minimum Requirements

All financial aid recipients are required to be in good academic standing and make academic progression toward a degree in a reasonable amount of time before the FAS office disburses any federal, state, and institutional funds for the subsequent semester. Students must meet all components of SAP as follows:

Qualitative Measure (GPA Requirement)

• Undergraduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0.
• Post-baccalaureate, 2nd bachelor’s, and credential students must maintain a minimum GPA of at least 2.5.
• Graduate master’s & doctoral students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0.

Quantitative Measure (Pace Requirement)

• Undergraduate students must successfully complete a minimum of 67% of units in which they have attempted.
• Post-baccalaureate, 2nd bachelor’s, and credential students must successfully complete a minimum of 75% of units in which they have attempted
• Graduate master’s & doctoral students must successfully complete a minimum of 80% of units in which they have attempted.

Time Limit for Receiving Financial Aid (Maximum Time Frame)

• Undergraduate students must successfully complete a maximum of 150%.
• Post-baccalaureate 2nd bachelor’s students must successfully complete a maximum of 133%.
• Post-baccalaureate credential students must successfully complete a maximum of 133%
• Graduate master’s & doctoral students must successfully complete a maximum of 125%.

Treatment of Specific Courses:

• Remedial Coursework: Remedial coursework counts as units attempted but does not count toward the cumulative GPA.
• English as a Second Language (ESL): ESL courses are offered through ed2go as non credit, so they do not qualify for federal aid.

Same As or Stricter Than

The CSUCI policy meets the requirement for strictness as it matches the institutional policy for a student enrolled in the same educational program who is not receiving Title IV assistance. All enrolled students at CSUCI receiving federal, state, and institutional financial aid assistance must meet the minimum SAP standards as outlined in the SAP policy. The information is available from the following sources:

• The university catalog.
• The CSUCI financial aid website.
• During orientation presentations.

The senior financial aid counselor (FAC) reviews the policy every year and sends it to the associate director for approval.

Categories of Students

The financial aid SAP policy is applied consistently to all students within each educational program and within allowable categories of students such as full-time, part-time, undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate. CSUCI will run SAP every academic year at the end of the spring semester for all students, regardless if they are receiving financial aid.

All students are monitored at the end of the spring term. Once final grades have been reported by the registrar’s office, the SAP process within the FAS office may begin. Students currently on academic plans are reviewed individually to ensure they are meeting the terms and conditions of their plan and are making upward progress. Notifications are sent via email to students who are not meeting SAP or not meeting their academic plan. Reinstatement emails are sent to students who were previously on probation and are now meeting all requirements. All reviews are done by the SAP committee, which consists of the FACs and the associate director.

Qualitative Measure

 Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA): A minimum qualitative GPA standard a student must meet to remain in good academic and SAP standing, which includes grades for transfer credits.

Student Degree                                                                  Cumulative GPA

Undergraduate                                                                         2.0 +

Post-baccalaureate - 2nd Bachelor’s, Credential                    2.5 +

Graduate - Master’s & Doctoral                                               3.0+

Once the registrar’s office finalizes the grade processing for the spring term, the FAS office runs an automated process to receive updated qualitative information regarding the students current SAP status. Qualitative progress is documented for each student in PeopleSoft on the “maintain SAP data” page. Comments including specific data pertaining to each student is documented at the end of every spring semester. This includes updating SAP status to the appropriate selection. (i.e. FA Academic Plan, FA Probation, FA Terminated, or Meets SAP).

All SAP communications are sent via email to all students regarding their current status. Emails are always sent to the student’s myCI email address.

Quantitative Measure

Pace is a quantitative measure by which the university measures the completion rate of the program of study to ensure graduation within the maximum time frame. Pace is calculated by dividing the total number of units completed by the total number of units attempted, which includes grades for transfer credits.

Student Degree                                                                      Pace

Undergraduate                                                                        67%+

Post-baccalaureate - 2nd Bachelor’s, Credential                   75%+

Graduate - Master’s & Doctoral                                              80%+

Grades counted as attempted and completed:

A to D- A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-

CR          Credit

SP           Satisfactory Progress

Grades counted as attempted (not completed):

F               Failure

I                 Incomplete Fall

AU          Audit

IC             Incomplete Fall

RP           Report in Progress

U              Unauthorized Incomplete

NC          No Credit

W             Withdrawal

WU         Unauthorized Withdrawal 

CSUCI does not apply rounding when calculating Pace for SAP purposes.

Any student who was granted an incomplete grade and failed to meet the conditions of the incomplete grade contract after one year, will be given a grade of incomplete fail which is equivalent to a failure.

Quantitative progress is documented for each student in PeopleSoft on the “maintain SAP data” page. Comments including specific data pertaining to each student is documented at the end of every spring semester. This includes updating SAP status to the appropriate selection. (i.e. FA Academic Plan, FA Probation, FA Terminated, or Meets SAP).

All SAP communications are sent via email to all students regarding their current status. Emails are sent to the student’s myCI email address.

Maximum Timeframe

Maximum time frame is measured in units and payment periods. For an undergraduate program measured in credit hours, a period no longer than 150% of the program’s published length. For post-baccalaureate (2nd Bachelor’s and Credential) programs, no longer than 133% of the program’s published length. For a graduate program, no longer than 125% of the program’s published length. Refer to the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards chart below for maximum unit and payment period limits.

Some undergraduate, credential, 2 nd bachelor’s and master’s program(s) maximum unit limits may be greater than those listed above if a student’s program requires more than the typical unit requirement. The SAP committee uses a tool developed by the systems team to determine if a student will be able to meet SAP by the end of their program or by the maximum payment periods if the student is close to their limit.

The SAP committee will make their determination based on the tool used. If a student will not meet SAP by the end of their program, the appeal will be denied.

Pace

Please see Quantitative Measure Section

Evaluation Periods

CSUCI will run SAP every academic year at the end of the spring semester. Qualitative Measure (GPA), Quantitative Measure (Pace) and Maximum Time Frame are evaluated for all student categories. The add/drop period is during weeks one through three. Students who drop a course before the end of the add/drop period will not have those units counted as attempted. However, any courses added or dropped after week four will count as attempted units for SAP purposes.

Financial Aid Warning

CSUCI will run Satisfactory Academic Progress every academic year at the end of the spring semester. Thus, the warning feature cannot be used for those who do not meet SAP requirements. However, a courtesy notice will be sent to students flagged for being below the minimum SAP qualitative requirement, who will be notified via email to comply with AB 789.

Financial Aid Probation

Financial aid probation is a temporary status granted to students who have not met SAP standards but have successfully appealed their SAP status. Students on financial aid probation may continue to receive financial aid for one additional term (payment period).

Appeals

CSUCI will assess the students’ SAP at the end of the spring semester and flag those who have not met the SAP requirements. However, students facing exceptional or unforeseeable circumstances that have affected their ability to maintain SAP and make progress in their program of study can appeal. Valid reasons for appeal may include but are not limited to the death of a relative, student injury or illness, family issues such as divorce or illness, interpersonal problems, difficulty balancing school with other responsibilities, financial difficulties, and other special circumstances as outlined in AB 789 Requirements. 

The SAP appeal is a process by which a student who is not meeting SAP standards and has been assigned a financial aid suspension status may petition the school to reconsider their eligibility for financial aid assistance. Students who do not meet SAP and have experienced exceptional or unforeseen circumstances affecting their ability to maintain SAP will need to meet with a FAC. During this meeting, the FAC will discuss the situation with the student and explain the SAP process. The FAC will then provide the student with the SAP appeal form via the Student Forms portal, where the student will detail the following in a statement:

• Explanation of the extenuating circumstances that directly impacted the student’s ability to meet the minimum SAP standards.
• Outline what has changed that will enable the student to meet SAP standards at the next evaluation. The student will need to empathize what will be different in their situation that will enable them to succeed.
• The student should provide details on the steps they have taken to address the circumstance(s) described in their appeal.

Students who are academically disqualified from CSUCI will be automatically ineligible for financial aid. The student will need to appeal and go through a reinstatement process to CSUCI. If the student is reinstated but still does not meet the SAP requirements, they will need to appeal and go through the standard SAP appeal process. The student must be enrolled in the term that the SAP appeal is being evaluated for. Since CSUCI evaluates SAP at the end of the spring term, the student must be enrolled in either the subsequent summer or fall term.

Documentation

It is not a requirement that SAP appeals be submitted with the appropriate documentation, but the SAP committee may request documentation to further substantiate the student’s mitigating circumstances. Examples of documentation that the SAP committee may
request are listed below:

• Severe illness, medical condition or injury: Signed & dated letter from physician on office letterhead; legible copy of accident report.
• Death of a family member: Death certificate and/or obituary.
• Traumatic life-threatening event such as a fire or hurricane: Evidence of such an event such as an insurance claim or FEMA application.
• Other circumstances beyond the control of the student (the student must explain in detail the nature and dates of the unexpected circumstance): Appropriate documentation which will verify the situation.

Academic Plans

The academic plan is a structured, multi-term course plan developed for students who are unlikely to meet SAP standards within one term. It provides a roadmap for students to gradually meet SAP requirements over an extended period while remaining eligible for financial aid.

Regaining Eligibility

If the SAP committee determines that the student’s appeal does not warrant reinstatement, the SAP appeal will be denied. If denied, the student would need to take the following steps:

Reinstatement Following SAP Appeal:
A student cannot be paid for any payment period in which they failed to meet SAP standards. If a student fails to meet SAP policy at the beginning of an academic year but meets it later by evidence of sufficient documentation, the FAS office may disburse funds only for the
payment period in which they regain eligibility. Retroactive disbursements are not allowed.

Reinstatement of Eligibility Without SAP Appeal:
Students who have lost their financial aid eligibility due to insufficient GPA and/or pace, and who do not have an approved appeal on file, may generally re-establish eligibility as follows:

GPA: Complete courses with grades that will increase the cumulative GPA to meet minimum SAP standards without receiving financial aid.
Pace: Complete enough units to increase the pace rate required for appropriate program requirements without receiving financial aid. Courses may be taken at CSUCI or completed through Extended University.

Treatment of Nonpunitive Grades, Repeated Courses, Audited Courses, Pass/Fail Courses, Withdrawals, and Incompletes

Transfer Credit & Transfer Students: When calculating the pace of a transfer student, only the transfer credit that counts towards the student’s academic progress is calculated into the pace. All units transferred will be used in the calculation of pace and maximum unit limit as attempted and completed units.

Repeated Coursework: All units from courses that are repeated will be used in the calculation of pace and maximum unit limit as attempted (not completed) units. A student may repeat a passed course one time and receive financial aid. Repeated coursework is counted toward enrollment status. The highest grade from all attempts is included in the GPA calculation. It’s important to note that a D grade is considered a passing grade for Title IV aid purposes, even though individual programs may require a higher grade to pass. The FAS office determines if students are eligible for aid for repeat coursework.

Credit or No Credit and Incomplete Courses: CSUCI will not factor credit or no credit and incomplete courses into the GPA qualitative measurement. However, these courses will count in the quantitative measurement of the pace of progression.

Grade Changes/Pending: Students who receive a grade change from an incomplete after the school’s SAP evaluation has been performed, will need to wait until the next SAP evaluation period to determine if they are meeting SAP requirements. This also applies to pending grades after the school’s SAP evaluation. The school is not required to perform SAP evaluations outside the published SAP policy.

Withdrawal/Enrollment status: If a student withdraws from the payment period and obtains a “W” or “WU”, these units will count as attempted units for SAP purposes.

Treatment of Remedial, Enrichment, and English as a Second Language Courses

Treatment of Specific Courses:
Remedial Coursework: CSUCI does not have any courses that are considered remedial.
English as a Second Language (ESL): ESL courses are offered through ed2go as non credit, so they do not qualify for federal aid.

Treatment of Consortium, Change of Major, Second Degree, and Second Major Courses

Change of Major and Double Major: If the student completes the degree requirements of both programs simultaneously, the student can receive aid from both programs until completion. The school must calculate SAP separately for students enrolled in two different degree programs leading to two different degrees. All units will be counted for SAP purposes when changing majors.

Completion of Degree Requirements

Students who change their academic major, or pursue a double major or minor, as long as each of the programs the student is completing is a Title IV-eligible program, the student may receive Title IV aid for each program. If the student completes the degree requirements of both programs simultaneously, the student can receive aid from all of the Title IV programs until completion. The FAS office aligns with the registrar’s policy on degree completion.

Notices

The CSUCI SAP policy can be found in the university catalog and on the financial aid website. The associate director updates and publishes the SAP policy. It is reviewed annually and is then updated by the CSUCI systems team with any new changes.

Federal Return of Title IV Funds Policy 

Process Overview and Applicability

If a student ceases attendance (drops or withdraws) from all Title IV eligible courses in a semester, the student must be considered a withdrawal for Title IV purposes. If the student never actually begins attendance for the semester, the R2T4 regulations do not apply. If a student begins attendance but has not been disbursed Title IV aid prior to the withdrawal, the student is not considered to have been a Title IV recipient and the R2T4 regulations do not apply. In these cases, Title IV funds would be handled in accordance with regulations for returning funds for students who do not register or fail to begin attendance.

Whenever CSUCI determines that a student has withdrawn, the student is no longer considered to be enrolled and in attendance. Therefore, the student is no longer eligible for in-school status or an in-school deferment on their federal loans. CSUCI must report the student as withdrawn in the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) Enrollment Reporting.

The CSUCI R2T4 policy applies to all registered students receiving financial aid assistance. Students are considered recipients of Title IV federal financial aid if they are eligible to receive or have received funds from one or more of the following programs for the semester:

• Federal Pell Grant
• Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant (Starting with the 2024-25 award year, rather than receiving an Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant, the student will receive a maximum Pell Grant award).
• Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
• Federal Work Study (FWS).
• Federal Direct Loans
• Subsidized
• Unsubsidized
• Parent PLUS
• Graduate PLUS

If a student is a FWS employee, they are no longer eligible to receive FWS payments effective immediately when they withdraw from the semester. Students who were offered only FWS do not require an R2T4 calculation upon withdrawal.

For the purposes of a student withdrawal, the following definitions apply.

Title IV grant or loan recipient - A student who has been awarded Pell, FSEOG or IASG grant funds or an individual that has been awarded and accepted Federal Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized, Graduate PLUS or Parent PLUS loans. If the student has not accepted all or a portion of the loan offer, then CSUCI does not consider that individual eligible for consideration of a PWD. Also, if the student accepts the loan but has not completed the master promissory note (MPN), this must be completed by the student before the R2T4 calculation is performed if the loan has been originated.

Period of enrollment and payment period - When determining how to process the R2T4 calculation, a school must decide to either utilize the period of enrollment or payment period. CSUCI is a standard term school and uses the payment period when completing the R2T4 calculation. The payment period is the period for which the aid is given.

Institutional charges - These are charges billed by CSUCI and contracted by the student. All students will have tuition and fees. Students living in the residence halls will have housing and meal charges.

Title IV disbursement - Title IV aid (Pell, FSEOG, IASG, Subsidized, Unsubsidized, Parent PLUS and Graduate PLUS) that was disbursed to the student’s account to cover institutional charges with any excess being refunded directly to the student.

Title IV Leave of Absence (LOA) - CSUCI has an official Title IV approved LOA policy.

The date the institution determines the student withdrew - The date that the student initiates the withdrawal process is the withdrawal date. For unofficial withdrawals, the last day the student was physically present or participated in an academically related event for the course, as recorded by the instructor. The registrar’s office will notify the FAS office of the student’s official or unofficial withdrawal date.

Academic engagement - Active participation by a student in an instruction activity related to the course of study is required. Modules - a course that does not span the entire length of the term.

Non-Title IV programs (such as scholarships, State of California grants, state university grants, and private education loans, etc.) are not part of the R2T4 calculation; however, they may be subject to a reduction in cases of withdrawal based on institutional policy. State aid programs cannot exceed tuition fee charges and will be reduced accordingly to avoid an overaward.Students who complete all graduation requirements for the program before completing the number of days or hours in the scheduled period are not considered to be withdrawn. For modular programs, students who complete one module or a combination of modules that includes 49 percent or more of the number of days in the payment period (excluding scheduled breaks of five or more consecutive days and all days between modules); or successfully completes coursework equal to or greater than the coursework required for the institution’s definition of half-time for the payment period are not considered withdrawn. Once the FAS office is notified that the student withdrew, the R2T4 calculation is completed to determine the amount of Title IV aid the student earned. If there is an amount of Title IV aid that needs to be returned, the FAS office has 45 days to return any unearned Title IV funds to the appropriate Title IV program. If the amount of earned aid is more than the disbursed amount, a PWD will be made. The FAS office is required to automatically disburse any earned grant funds in a PWD within 30 days after the school determined the student withdrew. Federal Direct Loans require that a student respond to a PWD within 15 days to qualify for the disbursement of loans. The 15 days is the maximum timeframe and cannot be extended. The school has 180 days to disburse loans from the student’s official withdrawal
date. The FAS office is required to notify a student of their exit counseling requirement within 30 days of the school determining the student officially withdrew. Some students may be selected for verification by the Department of Education (ED). Verification documents need to be submitted and reviewed before any Title IV aid can disburse. If a student selected for verification withdraws before their aid disburses, this aid would be treated like a PWD. An initial calculation is done using the student’s official withdrawal date and any federal grants awarded at the time the student withdrew. A PWD would be made only using federal grant Title IV aid. The student has 120 days from the date the student withdrew or 120 days from the end of the semester, whichever is sooner, to submit verification documents to be considered for any needbased aid. Once the documents are reviewed, another PWD offer will be sent, including the federal grant aid if the verification documents are submitted within the given timeframe. Federal grants would be disbursed automatically within 30 days of determination. The Pell Grant must be disbursed within 120 days from the official withdrawal date. CSUCI utilizes a census date for both full-term semesters and for modules.The census date is used for recalculating the Pell Grant based upon the actual enrollment status. Each module has its own census date.

Withdrawal Date

CSUCI is a school not required to take attendance

Withdrawal Date:
If the student withdraws from all of their courses within the first three weeks of a semester, the final course drop date is considered the student’s withdrawal date, or LDA. At the start of the fourth week of the semester, the student must complete a request for official withdrawal with the Registrar’s office. Upon approval, the Registrar’s office will notify the FAS office of the student’s official withdrawal date.
Within the federal R2T4 calculation formula, the LDA determines the amount of the federal aid earned by the student for a given semester.

Unofficial Withdrawal:
Students who fail to notify CSUCI of their intent to withdraw before the end of the semester and subsequently receive WU grades for all their enrolled courses in a semester are considered unofficially withdrawn. Federal regulations require that CSUCI complete an R2T4 calculation for unofficial withdrawals using a withdrawal date or LDA, based on the midpoint of the semester. If, after the original R2T4 calculation is performed, a student’s grade(s) changes from unofficial withdrawal (WU) to an official withdrawal (W), CSUCI is not required to update the R2T4 calculation as it was correct at the time it was processed. Per the Federal Student Aid (FSA) Handbook: “A change is not a correction if a calculation (R2T4 or PWD) was correct at the time it was processed. An institution is never required to do a recalculation of a change that is not a correction.” Leave of Absence (LOA) Policy:

• Informal leave of absence: A leave of absence in which a student is not registered in classes and has not filed leave of absence paperwork with the registrar’s office. Limited to two consecutive semesters.
• Formal leave of absence: An extended leave of absence in which a student is not registered in classes and has filed leave of absence paperwork with the registrar’s office. Limited to four consecutive semesters.

Additionally, students may apply for a formal leave of absence for up to four consecutive semesters (excluding summer and winter). While a student may apply for multiple leaves, no student will be permitted more than six total semesters of leave from CSUCI. Informal and formal leaves of absence are not considered an interruption in attendance and students on leave will maintain their catalog rights. A LOA is not allowed for the student’s first term. However, in cases of extenuating circumstances, a student may petition for a first-term LOA. Extenuating circumstance is defined as a verified accident, illness, military orders, or other circumstance beyond the student’scontrol.

R2T4 Formula Calculation

CSUCI utilizes the ED software to complete R2T4 calculations. The outline below illustrates how the amount of Title IV aid earned by the student is determined:

Calculate the percentage of the semester completed by the student:

• Days Completed ÷ Days in Semester = Percentage Completed

If the calculated percentage exceeds 60 percent, then the student has earned the full amount of Title IV aid for the semester.

Apply the percentage completed to the student’s Title IV eligibility (as of the withdrawal date):

• Total Aid Eligible x Percentage Completed = Earned Aid

Determine the amount of unearned aid to be returned to the appropriate Title IV aid program:

• Total Disbursed Aid - Earned Aid = Unearned Aid

For module programs, the number of days that a student is scheduled to complete includes days in all coursework used to determine the amount of the student’s eligibility for Title IV, HEA funds for the payment period.

Post-Withdrawal Disbursements

If the calculation produces a credit to the student’s account (when the amount of aid earned is greater than the amount that has been disbursed to the student’s account) any grant funds will be applied to the account without notification. However, if Direct Loan funds are eligible to disburse under these conditions, the borrower will be notified via email informing them of their eligibility and the borrower must
confirm in writing that they want the loan to be disbursed. If no confirmation is received by the FAS office within 30 days of the email sent date, the loan offer will be cancelled.

Returning Unearned Funds

The FAS office will follow federal regulations to determine the proportions of aid disbursed that must be returned by the institution and by the student. However, CSUCI will return the entire amount of federal aid that was not earned by the student to the federal government. The student is required to pay any balance owed back to CSUCI.

Order of Return defined by Federal Regulations:

• Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans
• Subsidized Federal Direct Loans
• Federal Direct PLUS Loans
• Federal Pell Grants
• Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants
• FSEOG
• TEACH Grants

Overpayment Resolution

CSUCI must comply with refund policies required by a state or other outside agency. Although the CSUCI refund policy will determine the charges a student will owe after withdrawing, those policies will not affect the amount of Title IV Aid the student has earned under the
R2T4 calculation. The student should contact the SBS office to determine the amount that they will be charged for the time they were enrolled. Students are responsible to repay CSUCI for any remaining balance owed as a result of funds returned due to the R2T4 calculation.