Military tuition assistance (TA) is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws (officially or unofficially) on or before 60 percent of the course(s) meeting period has been completed, UMass Lowell will comply with the Department of Defense policy to return unearned TA funds on a proportional basis through the 60 percent portion of the period for which the TA funds were provided. After a student completes 60 percent of the term, all TA funds are considered fully earned.
Student Financial Services will notify affected students within 30 days of the determination of withdrawal as to the portion of funds being returned and if the return of unearned funds will result in a balance on the student’s financial account. If a service member stops attending due to a military service obligation (deployed or temporary duty), the university will work with the affected service member to identify solutions that will avoid student debt for the returned portion of TA funds.
The return of unearned military TA funds will follow the same guidelines as the Department of Education Title IV funding, outlined in the Withdrawal Policy for Return of Title IV Funds policy. The calculation is completed for each course individually. Once the completion (earned) percentage is calculated, the university will multiply the percentage by the amount of TA funds awarded to determine the amount of TA funds earned. The unearned TA funds will be returned to the military service, not to the service member, within 45 days of the determination of withdrawal.