Changes in Enrollment Status
Eligibility for federal student aid is, in part, based on your enrollment status for the term in which you are enrolled. Any changes in course enrollment or credit status may affect your financial aid eligibility. If you drop courses, you may be required to use any tuition refunds to repay scholarships or loans. You should discuss any financial or enrollment status changes in advance with your financial aid officer so that an assessment can be made of how those changes affect financial aid. If you are receiving federal aid and withdraw from all of your courses within a term, you must inform Student Financial Services immediately and complete loan exit counseling online.
Federal regulations also require students to begin attendance in all classes for which they are enrolled to maintain eligibility for federal financial aid funds. Attendance is defined as live participation in a virtual (Zoom) or physical classroom, or other academically related activity such as submitting an assignment, commenting on a course recording, taking a quiz/survey, or responding to an online discussion.
If you do not participate at the start of each of your course(s), your financial aid eligibility may be reevaluated and, in some cases, adjusted.
Faculty of Arts and Sciences Special Student
If you are enrolled as a Special Student in Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) courses, you must provide confirmation of your enrollment to Student Financial Services before financial aid funds can be disbursed.
Please note that during the fall and spring terms, if you are an FAS Special Student registered in only one 4-credit course at Harvard Extension School and one 4-credit course at another Harvard school, you are reported by the registrars’ offices as enrolled less than half time at both schools. This enrollment reporting may affect your in-school deferment status on current and past student loans. If you experience deferment problems, contact Academic Services at (617) 495-0977.
Candidates Approved to Study at Another Institute (US or Abroad)
You may be eligible to use federal loans and grants, state scholarships, and private education loans to pay education expenses at another school or for a study abroad program. Contact your academic advisor to assist you in choosing a course of study and to have your courses approved for transfer credit. Then contact your financial aid officer to begin the consortium agreement process. As part of this process you will need to provide your financial aid officer with information about the cost of your courses and dates of enrollment.
