The last day for students to drop a 16-week class and receive a full refund has passed. However, students who need to drop a class can still do so and receive a W — but no refund. The deadline for that is Nov. 6.

Financial Aid Assistant Director Angela Leal said it’s always a good idea for students to check with Financial Aid to see how they would be affected before dropping a class.

“For example, if you drop an 8-week class before it starts, it may affect the amount of money you get from a Pell grant,” she said.

She said many students don’t realize that if they withdraw before a certain date, they might owe back a certain portion of their financial aid.

Leal said that date this semester is Friday, Oct. 23.

“If a student withdraws before [that] date, we have to calculate how much to send back to the Department of Education,” she said.

Leal said many students don’t realize this policy exists.

She said this can be particularly troublesome for students who have already spent the money.

“It’s a big problem when students don’t know this.”

Students who don’t meet satisfactory academic progress during the semester also may lose some of their financial aid if they can’t keep up their GPA.

“We receive a lot of questions recording satisfactory academic progress and how to get financial aid back from that, and how to fill out an appeal,” Leal said.

When it comes to financial aid, Leal said, the most common question asked is when student loans will be disbursed.

Disbursement days are listed on the college website calendar at www.occc.edu.

She said they also receive various questions about how to fill out FAFSA, how to get financial aid in the first place, and if they’re eligible in the first place.

For more information, contact the Financial Aid office at 405-682-7525, or at financialaid@occc.edu.