Credit Balance Refund Policy

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Credit Balance Refund Policy

Financial Aid programs will be credited on student accounts in the following order each semester, if eligible:

  1. Federal PELL Grant. 
  2. Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG). 
  3. Georgia Tuition Equalization Grant (GTEG). 
  4. HOPE Scholarship
  5. Institutional (Reinhardt University) Scholarships.
  6. Direct Federal Loans (student and parent)
  7. Non-federal or non-state Scholarships. 

Credits involving institutional and noninstitutional scholarships are treated differently because the amount of institutional aid is capped for each student.

Institutional Scholarship Recipients: If an institutional scholarship creates a credit balance on your account, the amount of your institutional scholarship will be reduced to cover only the amount you owe as outlined in your Reinhardt University Institutional Aid Agreement. The total amount of institutional scholarships may not exceed the cost of tuition and on-campus room and board when added to any other institutional scholarship or grant the student may be eligible to receive. This excludes loans or work-study.

Non-federal or non-state Scholarship Recipients: If a non-federal or non-state scholarship creates a credit balance on your account, you can receive a refund from that scholarship of up to the amount of the scholarship after you have received all your financial aid and your tuition has been paid. Any remaining excess funds (after you have received your refund) will be deducted from your institutional (Reinhardt University) scholarship awards.

Return of Title IV Funds

If a recipient of Title IV aid withdraws during a payment period (or a period of enrollment), the institution must calculate the amount of Title IV aid the student did not earn. Unearned Title IV funds must be returned to the Title IV programs. The Return of Title IV Funds policy applies through 60% of enrollment period.

The Title IV funds earned is calculated by the number of calendar days completed, divided by the number of calendar days in a period. The result is the percentage completed (earned).

Title IV funds will be returned in the following order:

  1. Federal PLUS Loan
  2. Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan
  3. Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan
  4. Federal Pell
  5. FSEOG
  6. Other Title IV

Students with questions about refund policies should contact the Office of Student Financial Aid.