If the semester started last week, can I still take it off or is it too late?

Question

I'm at a private college. Id like to take the semester off, but i don't know if its too late. What are my options and if I can leave, how do I do it?

Answer 1

This is call withdrawing, and yes you can do it. You'll need to go to the records department (registrar) and completely withdraw. If you've received any kind of financial aid already (refund check), then you'll probably have to pay it back.

If you haven't paid your tuition yet or received any kind of aid, then this will make the whole process much smoother. You shouldn't have any financial obligation to the school unless you signed a contract for room and board. Depending on the individual school, some of them won't let you out of your contract very easily, so you might have to still pay for housing in this case. If you signed a contract for housing, then look over it to determine if you can get out of it w/o having to pay anything. Other than that, you should be fine.

Answer 2

Just to add to what was already said...

If you've received the financial aid, they'll want it back; you can't just pocket the money and save it for another semester.