Refund Policies

Refunds only for tuition and refundable fees will be granted upon the submission of an official withdrawal form initiated with the ACT Center (for matriculated students) or the Registrar’s Office (for nonmatriculated students), either before classes begin, or during the published refund period. 

• Simply notifying the classroom instructor or Dean of Student Services is insufficient. Any student who does not withdraw and remains unpaid at the end of the refund period will be liable for full tuition.
• Non-attendance does not limit student liability.
• Students dismissed for disciplinary reasons are not eligible for refunds, and if appropriate, will be subject to the Federal Title IV Withdrawal Policy.
• Students called to active duty in the armed forces will be refunded the full amount of their tuition for the semester in which their education is interrupted, upon submission of evidence of call to duty.

This policy is per the U.S. Department of Higher Education and applies to students who receive assistance under Title IV funding and/or to parents who receive the Federal Parent PLUS loans for their children. Title IV funding for the purpose of this policy includes Federal Pell Grants, Stafford Loans, PLUS Loans, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOGs) and Federal Perkins Loans.

• If a student withdraws or stops attending Dutchess Community College, either officially or unofficially, during the first 60% (approximately first 10 weeks) of the semester, a calculation is done to determine how much Title IV funding has been earned.
• The earned amount is based on the percentage of the semester the student has completed. If the student has received (been disbursed) more Title IV funds than has been earned, the excess unearned funds must be returned to the Federal Department of Higher Education by the school and/or the student.

The DCC Tuition and College Fee Refund Policy, as stated above, is used to determine the amount of college tuition and fees a student is charged.

Example: Applying both the DCC refund policy and the Federal Title IV refund policy to a student who withdraws or stops attending during the fifth week of classes:

• A student who withdraws or stops attending during the fifth week of classes will owe the College 100% of their tuition and fees. (There is no reduction after the third week.)
• If the student was awarded $2,000 in Title IV funding he/she only would earn approximately 30% or $600 of this funding.
• If the student is full-time and has tuition and fee charges of $1,650 then he/she would still owe the College $1,050 ($1,650 less $600) after their Title IV funding was applied. DCC and/or the student must return the other $1,400 in Title IV funding to the Federal Department of Education.
• If the student is required to return some of these funds, it is possible he/she will not be eligible to receive Title IV funding at DCC or another college until the amount is paid.