Withdrawals and Financial Aid

If you withdraw after the semester has started and have already received your Berkeley Law Gift Aid, you have two options: you may either return the full amount to the financial aid office or retain the gift aid. Please note that your eligibility for gift aid spans six semesters unless otherwise specified in your award letter or if you are enrolled in a concurrent degree program. If you choose to retain the gift aid for the semester from which you are withdrawing, it will count as one semester’s worth of eligibility. This may result in lacking gift aid in your last semester at Berkeley Law. 

If you withdraw before the start of the semester, your financial aid package will be adjusted based on your expected return date. 

Upon graduation, withdrawal, or enrollment in less than half-time status, a grace period of six months (sometimes nine months for Perkins Loans) is granted before repayment begins:

• Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans: Six-month grace period.
• Graduate PLUS Loans: Six-month deferment.

It’s important to recognize that if you have utilized this one-time grace period prior to your withdrawal, your eligibility is depleted, and repayment commences immediately.

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) employs several loan servicers to manage billing and other services. Your loan servicer will reach out to inform you when your grace period or repayment will begin and also establish you under the Standard Repayment Plan unless you specify an alternative plan. You can access your loan servicer information by logging into studentaid.gov.

As you plan your return to Berkeley Law from withdrawal, we encourage you to reach out to our Financial Aid Office. By contacting us, we can tailor financial aid packages to suit your specific needs, considering factors such as your budget, academic plan, and any existing aid offers. Our aim is to facilitate a seamless transition back to Berkeley Law for you.