Dropping Below Full-Time Status

Before You Drop a Class: How Your Enrollment Can Affect Your Student Loans

Before dropping a class, it is important to understand how a change in your enrollment can affect your federal student loans. Beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, new federal rules require schools to consider a student's enrollment level when determining the amount of Direct Loan funding they may receive. If you drop a class and your enrollment falls below full-time, your federal student loan eligibility may be reduced. This means the amount of your loan could be lower than the amount originally offered or disbursed to you.

Dropping below half-time enrollment can have an additional impact. Students generally must be enrolled at least half-time to remain eligible for Direct Loans. If you drop below half-time, you may no longer be eligible for future loan disbursements, and your loans may enter repayment according to federal requirements. If you are considering dropping a class, we strongly encourage you to review the potential financial aid impact before making the change.

Before you drop a class, contact the Office of Student Financial Aid. We can help you understand how your proposed enrollment change may affect your student loans and other financial aid. Once you drop a class, your financial aid eligibility may need to be recalculated, and you may not be able to restore your original loan eligibility simply by adding a different class later.