Drop/Withdrawal/Refund and Extension Policies

Drop/Withdrawal/Extension and Tuition Refund Policies

Students registered for a course are expected to complete all scheduled requirements (as listed in the classroom’s course syllabus) within the allotted timeframe: 8 weeks, or 16 weeks. If a student changes their mind about taking a course, or circumstances prevent them from completing a course for which they are registered, they may consider requesting a course drop, withdrawal or extension. Students should be aware that any change to their enrollment status due to dropping, being administratively dropped, or withdrawing from any course may impact their financial aid.  1

Withdrawal Counseling

Students experiencing difficulties that may prevent them from completing their coursework on time should discuss their situation with their instructor. In extreme situations, they may wish to consult the Student Handbook to determine whether they should submit a formal request for a course extension or withdraw from the course entirely. Procedures for both actions are explained in the Student Handbook. Students who elect to submit a request for a course extension forfeit the option to withdraw from the course; but in most cases, a course extension is preferable because it allows time for students to complete the course and advance towards their academic goals. In addition, a course withdrawal will reduce the number of credit hours being taken during the semester and may have a negative impact on students' status as a full- time or part-time student, academic progress, and eligibility for some forms of financial aid. Required forms are available in the student eCampus. 2

Drop/Withdrawal Policies and Refunds

Course Drop

If a student decides to drop from a course, the online Drop/Withdrawal Course Form must be submitted by the posted deadline that occurs before the first week of the course has ended. APUS will not consider appeals for a drop after the first week has ended based on late book arrival as it is the student's responsibility to drop the course on time.

There are student funding approval and payment deadlines for each course.  The deadlines are posted on the Academic Calendar. Students who do have not their funding approved (i.e.; a confirmed Federal Student Aid package or TA approval) or have not submitted payment by the deadline will automatically be dropped from courses.

During Week One students are required to log into all courses and submit a minimum 250-word introductory forum post for each course. Students who do not submit this forum post during the first week of class will be automatically dropped from any courses in which the forum post has not been completed. A course drop will reduce the number of credit hours being taken during the semester and may have a negative impact on student's status as a full-time or part-time student, academic progress, and eligibility for some forms of financial aid.

Course Withdrawal

If a student earning academic credit submits an online Drop/Withdrawal Course Form after the first week of the course, then they will be withdrawn and receive a grade of "W" as long as the withdrawal was requested during the allowed timeframe. A “W” grade does not carry a grade point value and has no effect on the student's cumulative APUS GPA. However, a withdrawn course is considered an attempted course and will be factored into the quantitative measure of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for financial aid. 

Students taking courses as Audit (not seeking academic credit) will receive a "W" if they withdraw at any time during the course. Students taking Audit courses are not eligible for any tuition refund after week 1 of their course. Course Withdrawals may be requested after the start of the second week until the beginning of the last week of the course. The date of withdrawal will be the date the request is received.

Tuition Refunds

Tuition refunds are given for courses taken for academic credit under the guidelines listed below.

Institutional Refunds are processed as follows:

• After a course begins, refunds will be based on the weekly course schedule.

• Please find the appropriate session length on the Refund Schedule below to determine the refund.

Students should allow 30 days for the processing of tuition refunds.

Tuition Refund Schedules

The institution refund schedules below apply unless a specific state refund policy applies for a student and the state policy is more beneficial to the student than the below schedules.

2-Week Course - Tuition Refund Schedule

8-Week Course - Tuition Refund Schedule

16-Week Course - Tuition Refund Schedule

Military TA Refund Schedule

2-Week Course - Tuition Refund Schedule

8-Week Course - Tuition Refund Schedule

16-Week Course - Tuition Refund Schedule

The Department of Defense requires the University to return any unearned Military Tuition Assistance (TA) funds to the Department should a service member withdraw from a course that was paid for using TA.  If a service member withdraws from any course on or before the 60% completion date (during week 5 for an 8-week course and during week 9/10 for a 16-week course), a prorated refund will be issued back to the Department for the TA funds that were provided. The schedules above determine the prorated amount of TA funds refunded to the Department based on the date of service member’s withdrawal from a course. For example, if a service member withdraws from a course at the 60% mark (during week 5 for an 8-week course and during week 9/10 for a 16-week course), 40% of TA funds used for the course will be returned to the Department. In instances when a service member stops attending due to a documented military service obligation, the University will work with the affected service member to identify solutions that may not result in a student debt to the University for the portion of TA funds returned to the Department.