To receive the loans, the student must meet all eligibility requirements and be enrolled at least half-time or more.  For undergraduate students, half-time enrollment is six (6) credits.  For graduate students, half-time enrollment is 5 or more credits beginning in 2024-2025.  (The enrollment status count now aligns with the graduate school’s definition of half-time enrollment.) The students budget will reflect the student’s enrollment status and no aid disburses until the awarded enrollment status matches with the student’s actual enrollment.  

To receive grants, the enrollment requirements are usually half-time or more with the exception of the Federal Pell Grant.  The Pell Grant is an entitlement grant and is prorated in 2024-2025 per credit hour. The Pell Grant is automatically adjusted until the 15th date of classes (census date). The Pell Grant can also adjust or be taken away if the student does not begin attendance/academic activity throughout the semester and/or when grades post. 

Students may retake any previously passed course only once per course. For this purpose, "passed" means any grade higher than an "F," regardless of any higher qualitative grade required by school policies. 

If a student fails a course and receives Title IV funds to retake it, they remain eligible for Title IV aid. However, if a student withdraws from a course they had previously passed and retakes it with Title IV funds, and then fails it, that counts as their allowed retake. They cannot receive Title IV funds for retaking the course a third time. 

If a school mandate retaking all coursework for a term after failing a course, only the first retake of any previously passed course is Title IV aid eligible. A student is considered withdrawn for Title IV purposes if they withdraw from all Title IV eligible courses and continue attending non-Title IV eligible courses. 

If a student with an incomplete in a prior term completes the coursework in a subsequent term to remove the incomplete, they are not considered enrolled in the course for that subsequent term. Thus, they cannot receive Title IV funds for completing the course. However, if they retake the entire course for credit in the subsequent term, they can receive Title IV funds. 

Retaken classes may impact Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and are subject to SAP requirements. Additionally, the one-year academic limitation on noncredit and reduced credit remedial coursework still applies. Therefore, for instance, a student repeating a remedial course beyond the one-year limitation cannot include the class in their enrollment status. 

No, waitlisted courses do not count towards a student's enrollment status. Only courses in which a student is officially registered are counted. 

No, audited courses do not count towards a student's enrollment status. Only remedial courses or courses for which credit can be earned are counted. When a student chooses to audit a course, they agree not to be graded and not to receive credit for the course.  

The cost of attendance and financial aid amounts correspond to the enrollment status indicated on CyberBear.  The student initially indicates their anticipated enrollment status on CyberBear. Then, approximately ten days prior to each term, if the student meets the enrollment status for the aid program listed on the offer in CyberBear, they will see their aid credited (memo’ed) to their registration bill as "confirmed future aid" to help complete the bill payment process.  

Aid will not disburse until the enrollment status matches. Only the Federal Pell Grant (if applicable) will disburse. The Pell Grant will be prorated up or down based on actual enrollment until the 15th day of classes (census date).  On the census date, the federal aid is ‘locked’ and no further adjustments are made. 

If a student's enrollment status needs to be adjusted, complete the Enrollment Status Change request online at https://www.umt.edu/finaid/enrollment-status-update or if you don’t have access, you may come by the office for the Revision Request Form or download a form from www.umt.edu/finaid. If you know your enrollment status before the term begins and want your aid to disburse in a timely manner, check to ensure your enrollment status listed in CyberBear matches your actual enrollment.  For example, if you said full-time enrollment on CyberBear but you are only enrolled as an undergraduate in 9 credits, no aid will disburse until you either add at least 3 credits or change your enrollment status to ¾ time enrollment.   

We are required to match the student’s Cost of Attendance (Budget) to enrollment status.  Therefore, federal regulations are clear in that we cannot make exceptions to allow disbursement before the student actually is enrolled in the # of credits that matches the enrollment status.   

If a student reduces their credit load after their Federal Pell Grant has paid, before the 15th class day at midnight in each semester, the grant amount will be adjusted down and the student would be required to repay the returned portion of the grant. Failure to repay federal financial aid could hurt your credit. On the 15th day of class at midnight each semester (census), the enrollment # of credits is ‘locked’, no changes to your aid will be made based on # of credits. It is very rare that any exception is made and is only based on documented institutional error and determined by a committee. 

Students receiving a Federal Pell Grant must begin attendance/academic activity in all their classes. If at the end of the semester, if a student's recorded grades show they received one or more 'F', 'NF', 'W', 'WF', 'WP', 'I', or 'MG' grades, they may have to repay some or all of their Federal Pell Grant. 

Per the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy (SAP), students are required to earn at least 67% of the credits attempted cumulatively. Dropping a course after the 15th class day at midnight or completely withdrawing from the university at any point after the term begins will result in 'W' grades and will lower their percentage for the Pace calculation. 

If a student drops a course(s) BEFORE the 15th day at midnight (census date) of the semester, their aid may be reduced. The reduced amount is owed to UM immediately. If the course is dropped AFTER the 15th class day at midnight and a student drops a course(s) but not all courses, as long as they began attendance/began academic activity in the course, the current semester financial aid should not be adjusted. However, if a student drops a course(s) before the 15th day at midnight (census date) of the semester their aid may be reduced. The reduced amount is owed to UM immediately. While not required, it is recommended that students planning on dropping one or more of their classes, contact the Financial Aid Office for advice before withdrawing. 

RETURN OF TITLE IV AID (R2T4) 

If a student officially withdraws from all of their semester courses with the Registrar’s Office, they are subject to a process called Return of Title IV.  This process determines how much of the aid was ‘earned’ versus ‘unearned’. As a result of the R2T4 calculations, the student will required to repay the portion of the financial aid that was determined to be ‘unearned. The earned amount is determined based on a calculation of the % of the semester attended or engaged in academic activity. The longer throughout the semester the student attend courses and engages in academic activities the more % is earned.  Once the 60% date of the semester is reached, the student is deemed to have ‘earned’ 100% of their aid and no return based on R2T4 is required. 

If a student is planning on withdrawing from all of their semester courses, we encourage the student read the UM Withdrawal Policies and speak to the R2T4 specialist prior to withdraw so they are not unduly surprised. If a student remains in at least one credit and earns credit in that course then that is not subject to the Return of Title IV process. This encourages a student to persevere if possible.  

Students who stop attending all of their classes, but do not officially withdraw with the Registrar’s Office, are called an unofficial withdraw.  Unofficial withdraws are also subject to the Return of Title IV process and any ‘unearned’ financial aid would be required to be returned. Return of Title IV cannot be appealed.  

R2T4 is a distinct and separate process than class attendance for Pell Grant eligibility.  Students who receive a Pell Grant must begin class attendance and/or academic activities in all Pell Grant funded courses.  If at any point during the semester or when grades posts, we discover that a student did not begin classes in a Pell Grant funded class then the Pell Grants funds are pulled back.