“How will a leave affect my bill?”
It is important to know that the decision to withdraw or take a leave of absence mid-semester may have an effect on your student account. This can be a little complicated, but bear with us. We’ll start with the easier case to explain.
For students taking a Leave between semesters
(e.g., You have just finished the Fall semester and are going on Leave in the Spring):
As long as you have filed for your Leave before the start of classes, and you have not moved into on-campus housing, you can expect to have your charges canceled for the semester.
If you file your Leave before the start of classes, but have already moved into on-campus housing, you will be charged a per-day rate until you have moved out your belongings and returned your key to Housing and Residential Education.
For students taking a leave mid-semester:
When a student steps onto the Emerson campus for the first day of classes, they are not automatically responsible for 100% of their tuition. A student is responsible for 20% of their tuition through the end of the Add/Drop period. After that, they become responsible for tuition in 20% chunks each week for the next four weeks, until they are responsible for the entire tuition bill.
In the same vein, a student has not earned 100% of their aid package on the first day of classes.
Instead of financial aid increasing in 20% chunks like tuition, it stacks up little by little every day to keep pace with the percentage of the semester that has passed. This equals out to a little more than 1% a day. Once a student has attended classes up to the 60% mark of the semester, they have earned 100% of their aid.
This means that depending on when you file for your leave, it is possible for the amount of tuition you owe to outpace the aid you have earned. In cases like this, a student would need to pay the balance on their student account before they were able to return to Emerson College as a student.
When a student takes a leave before they have earned all of their aid, some federal money may need to be returned. This process is called Return to Title IV. This is a formula used to determine how much a student’s aid needs to be adjusted based on their attendance.
If a student has to take a leave mid-semester for health reasons, and they have not waived the Tuition Insurance, they should file a Health Leave of Absence, which allows the student to submit a Tuition Insurance claim. An approved claim ensures that a student would not be responsible for more than 20% of their tuition costs.
“Will I keep my scholarship when I come back?”
Whenever possible, a student in good academic standing who takes a leave of absence will keep their institutional scholarship as long as they return within the time allowed. Undergraduates can be on leave for up to two years, and Graduate students can be on leave for one year.
You can find more information on scholarships, and for any scholarship questions specific to your student account, we recommend signing in to the SFS Portal to contact your dedicated Student Financial Services Advisor.
“What else do I need to know?”
Students who have aid through the federal government will need to complete Loan Exit Counseling through the Department of Education. This online counseling will provide a quick overview of the expectations and responsibilities you have as a loan borrower. This is a requirement for any student who drops below half-time enrollment, whether they have graduated or are taking a leave. Any student who does not complete the exit counseling will have a hold placed on their student account.
Students have a 6-month grace period from dropping below half-time enrollment before they must begin making payments on their loans.