Disclosure
Adverse Actions Initiated by a State Agency or by an Accrediting Agency
Dakota State University education programs have no previous, current, or pending adverse actions initiated by any state entity or accreditation agency as of January 4th, 2023.
Refund Policies
Dakota State University follows the refund policy published by the South Dakota Board of Regents.
South Dakota Board of Regents Policy 5:7
Additional Information:
Add/Drop/Withdrawal (Class Change) – Changes may be made in Self Service Banner
University Withdrawal – When a student withdraws from all their courses in any academic term, they also withdraw from the University. If a student is enrolled at more than one Board of Regents institution, the student must withdraw from all courses at all institutions.
To withdraw from all DSU’s courses, students (undergraduate and graduate) must complete the online withdrawal form. The Registrar’s Office will coordinate the notification process so that all appropriate offices and persons are made aware of the withdrawal.
The effective date of withdrawal is the date such a request is initiated. Failure to officially withdraw will result in failing grades for all courses in which the student was enrolled.
Students Who Receive Federal Title IV Financial Aid (R2T4 Policy)
General Information: The U.S. Department of Education requires institutions to apply the Return to Title IV Funds policy for students withdrawing from a University who receive Title IV financial aid. Title IV funds include the following financial aid programs: Direct Stafford Loans, Direct PLUS Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Pell Grants, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants, TEACH Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and other Title IV assistance. The requirements for Title IV program funds when withdrawing are separate from the DSU refund policy. Therefore, the student may still owe funds to the school to cover unpaid institutional charges. DSU may also charge the student for any Title IV program funds that were required to be returned that were initially used to cover institutional charges.
A student who withdraws after the 60% point of a semester is entitled to retain all Title IV aid for that semester. However, if the student withdraws prior to the 60% point of the term, unearned Title IV funds as determined by the federal policy must be returned to the various programs. These funds must be returned even if the University provides no refund to the student. This means the student could owe the University and/or the U.S. Department of Education a significant amount of money.
Post Withdrawal Disbursement: If the student did not receive all of the funds that were earned prior to withdrawing, a post-withdrawal disbursement may be due. If the post-withdrawal disbursement includes loan funds, the student must give permission before the funds can be disbursed. DSU may automatically use all or a portion of the post-withdrawal disbursement of grant funds for tuition, fees, and room and board charges. Permission is required to use the post-withdrawal grant disbursement for all other school charges. Students will be notified of post-withdrawal disbursement eligibility within 30 days of the date of withdrawal determination.
Determining Earned Aid: Title IV financial aid is earned by the calendar day, not class day. This includes weekends, holidays, and breaks of less than five consecutive days. The University is required to determine the amount of Title IV aid the withdrawing student has earned and then either disburse any additional funds the student may be entitled to up to the amount earned, or return funds in excess of the amount earned which the student has already received. If an amount to be returned to a federal program is determined, then a further calculation is made to determine how much of the amount needs to be returned by the University and how much, if any, needs to be returned by the student.
For example: If $1,000 in federal aid is disbursed, and the student withdraws at the 30% point of the term, $700 of the aid is unearned and needs to be returned to the identified aid program.
Order of Aid to be Returned: The amount to be returned is distributed in a specified order – Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, Subsidized Stafford Loan, Perkins Loan, PLUS Loan, Pell Grant, SEOG, TEACH Grant, Iraq & Afghanistan Service Grant, other Title IV assistance, and last to the student.
Grant Overpayment: Any amount of unearned grant funds that the student must return is called an overpayment. The maximum amount of a grant overpayment the student must repay is half of the grant funds that were received or scheduled to receive. The student does not have to repay a grant overpayment if the original amount of the overpayment is $50 or less. Arrangements must be made with DSU or the Department of Education to return the unearned grant funds. The student will be notified of any grant overpayment within 30 days of the date the school determined the student withdrew.
Timeframe for Returning Title IV Aid: The Return of Title IV Funds calculation will occur as soon as possible but no later than 45 days after the date the University determined the student withdrew.
Notification to Student: Once the Return to Title IV Funds calculation has occurred, the DSU Business Office will notify the student of the results of the calculation, the aid that was returned, and any outstanding balance now due to the institution as a result. The University strongly encourages students and parents to consult with the Financial Aid Office to determine the financial impact of withdrawing before making a final decision.
Unofficial withdrawals (all failing unearned grades): Title IV aid recipients who fail to withdraw but stop attending class are considered unofficial withdrawals. Either the last day of academically related activity or mid-point of the term will be used to determine the amount of Title IV assistance that must be returned. If the student stopped attending prior to the 60% point of the term, the student will be billed for the outstanding charges as a result of the Return of Title IV funds. The last date of attendance for unofficial withdrawals is calculated within 30 days of determining the student was an unofficial withdrawal and the Return of Title IV funds is processed within 45 days.