Enrollment Requirements

Financial aid eligibility is determined each semester in part by your enrollment status: fulltime, three-quarter time, halftime, or less than halftime. Check with the Office of the Registrar or your academic unit for your college’s enrollment definitions, as they may differ from other colleges. For information on eligibility and requirements for summer courses, click here.
Adjusting your courses or withdrawing from classes can affect the total amount of aid you receive. For financial aid purposes, the following credits indicate enrollment at Rutgers University–Camden, Rutgers University–Newark, and Rutgers University–New Brunswick:

Undergraduate, Law, and New Brunswick & Newark Business School students

Status for undergraduate students, law students, and Rutgers Business School undergraduate or graduate students is determined during the fall and spring terms as follows:

Graduate and Camden Business School students

Status for graduate students is determined during the fall and spring terms as follows:

Dropping and/or Withdrawing from Courses

Upon being awarded federal, state, and university aid, students are advised of the enrollment assumptions made by the Office of Financial Aid at the time of packaging your aid. Most initial awards assume you are enrolled fulltime.

You will need to notify us of your anticipated or actual enrollment for the semester(s) in which you were awarded financial aid. We will then make any necessary adjustments to your aid package.

Dropping Course(s) During Add/Drop Period

Before confirming your attendance (submitting your term bill) each semester, verify that your financial aid enrollment assumptions are consistent with your registered credits for that term. Should you drop a course(s) and your enrollment status changes, we will adjust your aid accordingly, even if the funds have already been credited to your student account. You would be responsible for any balance on your account, and you may need to return any refund(s) issued to you.

(i) Note: retroactive course drop(s) approved by your dean have the same effect on financial aid eligibility as doing so during add/drop period.

Withdrawing from Course(s) After Add/Drop Period

Unlike dropping a course during the university’s published deadlines, withdrawing from one course counts as an attempt for that course, and a “W” will appear on your academic transcript. Your academic progress and repeated withdrawals can affect your aid eligibility in future academic years.

If you withdraw from a course(s) with a “W” grade but are still enrolled for at least one course, neither your tuition fees nor your financial aid will be adjusted. Final semester charges and awards are based on your enrollment status as of the end of your add/drop period.

If you withdraw from all of your courses in one semester, then adjustments to your direct charges and financial aid credits may be necessary, depending on your date of withdrawal.

Learn more about the consequences of a full withdrawal.

Enrollment Requirements for Financial Aid Programs