Policies for Graduate

Other than adjusting the cost of attendance (COA) for actual enrolled credit hours, you are eligible to appeal for a COA adjustment for the following circumstances ONLY:

  • Increase living allowance for dependent care (child or other dependent living with you).
  • Increase living allowance for spouse that is currently unemployed and residing with you.
  • Medical expenses not covered by health insurance.

To appeal for a COA adjustment, you must submit an appeal letter and documentation to your financial aid counselor.

Georgetown policy regarding outside resources is to help your lower your total student loan indebtedness. You must report any outside funding on the outside resources page in MyAccess. Outside Resources will be used to reduce student loans while still meeting the full cost of attendance.

You must report all outside resources through MyAccess by going to “Award Information,” then to “Resources/Additional Information.” You can view this step-by-step guide for more details. If your resource is sent to Georgetown, please note this in the comments section in MyAccess and use this address: 

Attn: Scholarships
Georgetown University
Office of Student Financial Services
G-19 Healy Hall, Box 571252
3700 O Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20057

If your outside resource will be set up as a contract through the Office of Revenue and Receivables, be sure to contact your financial aid counselor to let him or her know in addition to reporting it. 

If you need an official invoice from the university for your outside award to be disbursed, you must send a written request to the Office of Billing and Payment Services. The office will then bill your sponsor. 

If you wish to request verification of need, enrollment, or cost of attendance, write to: 

Assistant Director for External Scholarship Programs
Room G-19 Healy Hall,
Georgetown Box 571252

You may fax your request to the Assistant Director’s attention at (202) 687.6542.

You must maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA each term and make progress towards meeting your graduation date in order to remain eligible to receive financial aid. If you do not meet SAP requirements, you will be emailed at the start of each semester with additional information. You are encouraged to speak with your graduate program adviser and your financial aid counselor to ensure that you are meeting the SAP requirements.

Please refer to the Graduate Satisfactory Academic Policy

Non-Service Stipends from your academic program or outside agency will be used to reduce your federal student loan amounts and meet your total cost of attendance. Please contact your graduate program administrator for information on eligibility criteria for non-service stipends. Service stipends are paid directly to you and will not reduce federal student loans.

Based on the information you provide on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), your financial aid application may be selected for a process called federal verification. If you are selected, we may request additional information from you, which will be used to confirm the information reported on the FAFSA. The required documentation will be listed in MyAccess. Click on the requirement link in MyAccess to find out what steps you need to take to complete the request.

We recommend that you submit your verification documents as soon as possible after being notified. Your financial aid offer may be delayed until this information has been provided to the Office of Student Financial Services. Verification must be completed no later than 120 days after the last date of enrollment for the academic year in order to be considered for a late disbursement. New Direct Loans may not be offered after ceasing enrollment or dropping below half-time.

Students receiving federal student aid should be aware that U.S. Department of Education regulations govern the refund and repayment of federal student aid when a student withdraws before completion of the semester for which federal student aid has been received.

Federal student aid eligibility is based on the percentage of time the student is enrolled for the semester. Depending on the date the student withdraws, the student’s aid will be adjusted according to the Federal Return of Title IV formula and institutional policy. Tuition may be adjusted, and the student may owe money to the University if the student withdraws.

Return of Federal Student Aid (Title IV)

Federal Regulations require the University to calculate a return of federal student aid funds for students who withdraw (officially or unofficially) from all classes on or before the 60 percent attendance point in the semester and for students who withdraw from any module-based courses.

If the student officially withdraws, the determination date is the date Georgetown University determines the student began the withdrawal process. If the student does not provide official notification of his/her intent to withdraw, the determination date will be determined by Georgetown University administration. For an official withdrawal, Georgetown University uses the date the student provided official notification to withdraw as the withdrawal date. For unofficial withdrawals, the last date of academically related activity as given by a professor may be used as the withdrawal date.

The Return of Title IV funds calculation determines a student’s earned and unearned Title IV aid based on the percentage of the enrollment period completed by the student. The percentage of the academic period (e.g. semester) that the student remained enrolled is derived by dividing the number of days the student attended by the number of days in the academic period. Academic period is counted in Calendar days (including weekends); however, breaks of at least five days are excluded from both the numerator and denominator.

Until a student has passed the 60 percent point of an enrollment period, only a portion of the student’s aid has been earned. If a student earned less aid than was disbursed, the institution would be required to return a portion of the funds and the student would be required to return a portion of the funds. When Title IV funds are returned, the student borrower may owe a balance to the institution. If a student earned more aid than was disbursed to them, the institution would owe the student a post-withdrawal disbursement, which must be paid within 120 days of the student’s withdrawal.

The institution must return the amount of Title IV funds for which it is responsible no later than 30 days after the date of the determination of the date of the student’s withdrawal. The unearned portion of federal student aid funds will be returned to the appropriate aid program(s). The funds are returned in the following order:

Unsubsidized Direct Loan

Subsidized Direct Loan

Direct Grad PLUS Loan

Direct Parent PLUS Loan

Pell Grant

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant

FSEOG

TEACH Grant

Students withdrawing from classes are responsible for paying any balance due after the required return of federal student aid funds. In addition, the University’s refund policy and return of Title IV funds procedures are independent of one another. A student who withdraws from a course may be required to return unearned aid and may still owe the University for that course. Students who stop attending all classes without officially withdrawing will be subject to a return of federal student aid funds at the end of the semester based on the last documented date of attendance as determined by Georgetown University administration. Students should contact a financial aid representative if they have any questions about how their withdrawal may impact their financial aid.