Policies

Refund Policies

Refunds for tuition and fees will be made as described below.  Please refer to the Academic Calendar for refund deadlines.  Requests for refunds of tuition must be directed to the Registrar’s Office by mail, e-mail (registrar@trcc.commnet.edu) or fax (860-215-9919). Students should retain a confirmation receipt for their records.

Refund for Course Cancellations: Students will receive a full refund of tuition and fees if the College cancels a course.

Refund for Fall and Spring Full Semester Courses: Students who wish to drop all registered courses and receive a refund shall direct their request to the Registrar’s Office using an Add/Drop form available at the Registrar’s window.  If written notice is received prior to the first day of classes for the semester, 100% of the tuition for all dropped courses will be refunded. If written notice is received on or after the first day of classes for the semester through the first 14-calendar days of the semester, a 50% refund of tuition will be made.

Fall and Spring Module Courses: Students wishing to drop from modular courses with beginning and ending dates which do not correspond to the full semester schedule are required to direct their request to the Registrar’s Office using an Add/Drop form available at the Registrar’s window.  Notice must be made prior to the first scheduled class meeting in order to receive a 100% refund of tuition. A 50% refund of tuition will be granted if written notice is received according to the following schedule:

1 week module – within the first day of the module

5 week module – within the first 5 calendar days of the module

6 week module – within the first 6 calendar days of the module

7 week module – within the first 7 calendar days of the module

8 week module – within the first 8 calendar days of the module

Refund for Reduction in Course Load: For a reduction in course load which occurs on the first day of classes and through the fourteenth calendar day of that semester, 50% of the difference of the tuition applicable to the original and revised schedule will be refunded.  Financial Aid students who reduce their course load will incur the same costs as non-financial aid students, but these costs and credits are not included in determining their financial aid amount. Awards are based on the number of credits the student is registered for at the conclusion of the add/drop period. Please contact the Financial Aid office with questions.

Summer and Winter Session Courses Supported by the Educational Extension Fund: Students who wish to drop all registered summer or winter session courses shall direct their written requests for course drops using an Add/Drop form available at the Registrar’s window. One hundred percent of tuition will be refunded if notice is received prior to 4:00 p.m. on the day preceding the first scheduled class meeting (requests must be received by 4:00 p.m. Friday for courses that meet first on Monday). No refund of tuition will be granted if the notice is received on or after the first day of class.

Refund Exceptions: A 100% refund of tuition and fees is granted to students who enter the armed services before earning degree credit for that semester. In this case, notice and a certified copy of enlistment papers must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office.  No other refund of tuition will be granted for either full-time or part-time students beyond the 14th calendar day after the first day of classes. 

Exceptions to the Tuition Refund Policy due to Extenuating, or Extraordinary Circumstances: Will only be considered upon written request.  Please submitt request to the Dean of Administration via mail or email to (waiverrequest@threerivers.edu).  If you plan on emailing a request please provide in the subject line your full name, and student @ I.D.  Be sure to write a detailed reason for your request, include your contact information, and attach any backup documentation; or you may fax documentation to (860-215-9901).

Treatment of Title IV Aid When a Student Withdraws

The law specifies how Three Rivers Community College must determine the amount of Title IV program assistance that you earn if you withdraw from school. The Title IV programs at Three Rivers that are covered by this law are: Federal Pell Grants, Federal Direct Stafford Loans, PLUS Loans, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOGs).

When you withdraw during your period of enrollment, the amount of Title IV program assistance that you have earned up to that point is determined by a specific formula. If you received (or your school or parent received on your behalf) less assistance than the amount that you earned, you may be able to receive those additional funds. If you received more assistance than you earned, the excess funds must be returned by the school and/or you.

The amount of assistance that you have earned is determined on a pro rata basis. For example, if you completed 30% of your payment period or period of enrollment, you earn 30% of the assistance you were originally scheduled to receive. Once you have completed more than 60% of the payment period or period of enrollment, you earn all the assistance that you were scheduled to receive for that period.

If you did not receive all of the funds that you earned, you may be due a Post-withdrawal disbursement. If your Post-withdrawal disbursement includes loan funds, Three Rivers must get your permission before it can disburse them. You may choose to decline some or all of the loan funds so that you don’t incur additional debt. Three Rivers may automatically use all or a portion of your Post-withdrawal disbursement of grant funds for tuition, fees and book charges. Three Rivers needs your permission to use the Post-withdrawal grant disbursement for all other school charges. If you do not give your permission, you will be offered the funds. However, it may be in your best interest to allow Three Rivers to keep the funds to reduce your debt at the College.

There are some Title IV funds that you were scheduled to receive that cannot be disbursed to you once you withdraw because of other eligibility requirements. For example, if you are a first-time, first year undergraduate student and you have not completed the first 30 days of your program before you withdraw, you will not receive any Direct Loan funds that you would have received had you remained enrolled past the 30th day.  If you receive (or Three Rivers or a parent receive on your behalf) excess Title IV program funds that must be returned, Three Rivers must return a portion of the excess equal to the lesser of:

1. Your institutional charges multiplied by the unearned percentage of your funds, or

2. The entire amount of excess funds.

Three Rivers must return this amount, even if the College didn’t keep this amount of your Title IV program funds.  If your school is not required to return all of the excess funds, you must return the remaining amount. Any loan funds that you must return, you (or your parent for a PLUS Loan) repay in accordance with the terms of the promissory note. That is, you make scheduled payments to the holder of the loan over a period of time.

Any amount of unearned grant funds that you must return is called an overpayment. The maximum amount of a grant overpayment that you must repay is half of the grant funds you received or were scheduled to receive. You do not have to repay a grant overpayment if the original amount of the overpayment is $50 or less. You must make arrangements with Three Rivers or the Department of Education to return the unearned grant funds.

The requirements for Title IV program funds when you withdraw are separate from the refund policy at Three Rivers. Therefore, you may still owe funds to the school to cover unpaid institutional charges. Three Rivers will charge you for any Title IV program funds that the College is required to return. If you don’t already know what Three Rivers’ refund policy is, you can ask the Cashier’s Office for a copy, or find it online at https://www.trcc.commnet.edu/Div_StudentServices/FinancialAid/policies.shtml

Three Rivers’ Registrar’s Office also provides you with the requirements and procedures for officially withdrawing from school.  If you have questions about your Title IV program funds, please contact the Financial Aid Office at (860)823-2870. You may also call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FEDAID (1-800-433-3243). TTY users may call 1-800-730-8913. Information is also available on Student Aid on the Web at www.studentaid.ed.gov.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

The policy is available here.
If you are currently suspended you can appeal your status by clicking on this link: Appeal Form.

SAP Appeal Policy

Students may appeal any decision under the SAP Policy.  A student must complete the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form from the above link.  The form is also available in the Financial Aid Office.  Appeals will be considered for emergency circumstances such as illness, death of a family member, or other unusual situations.  All students will be expected to provide clear evidence in their appeal, following these guidelines:

  • State the reason(s) for appeal and provide documentation in support of the reason(s) for unsatisfactory academic progress.
  • Describe what has changed in your life situation to support satisfactory academic progress in future semesters.
  • Comple the Academic Plan in your appeal form.