Whether you're taking a quarter off or leaving UCI for good, be sure that you handle your departure responsibly. Take a few moments to review our exit checklist for valuable pointers aimed at helping you avoid being billed after you leave.
Although Campus Billing Services' primary concern is the retirement of your debts (including PACE installments), we realize that leaving UCI has consequences in other important areas. The table below points you to other offices that can help you to make an informed decision about leaving.
| Area of concern | Place to discuss leaving |
| academic | your academic counseling office, dean's office, or department |
| financial aid | Financial Aid, Loan Services |
| immigration | International Center |
| personal | Counseling Center |
There is no need to notify Campus Billing Services or to cancel the PACE plan if you won't be participating. Your PACE agreement is not a bill and is not activated unless you submit the first payment. Since the participation fee is included in the first installment, you can't be charged for it when you're not using PACE.
If you have decided not to attend UCI before the registration deadline, then don't pay your registration fees. It's as simple as that. When you receive your PACE agreement, don't submit the first PACE payment. Remember-- when the Cashier processes your first payment, PACE pays your registration fees in full for you. If you know that you won't be going to classes, then you don't want us to pay for them, and paying first certainly makes leaving a lot more complicated.
Whether you intended to or not, activating your agreement has two important consequences:
If you decide to leave UCI after your registration fees have been paid, YOU MUST FORMALLY WITHDRAW IN WRITING, following the procedures on the Registrar's web page. Obviously, we can't stress this point enough; you must understand that no other method is acceptable. Don't be fooled into thinking that any of the following actions is equivalent to withdrawal:
Don't miss the important information about withdrawal on the Registrar's web page and in the current Schedule of Classes. The UCI General Catalogue is another valuable resource; see the section on fee refunds to get a lot of detailed information about withdrawal. Be sure to scroll down the Catalogue's web page to the prorated refund schedule, which illustrates the importance of withdrawing early. You'll see that the longer you wait, the smaller the refund in terms of a percentage of registration fees paid. Wait too long, and there is no refund.
So what does all this mean to you as a PACE participant? Suppose you paid part of your registration fees, then attended part of the quarter--that should make things even, right? Probably not. Perhaps you never enrolled--can you get some money back from your PACE payments? Only if PACE gets its money back first. After all, we paid the full amount of your registration fees for you. Leaving school means that PACE has paid for classes that you will no longer attend. We get our money back whenever possible by applying the withdrawal refund to your PACE balance, working back from the third installment. Will you end up paying any of the remaining installments? The answer depends on your current PACE balance, and how much Financial Aid you've received.
Let us remind you up front that the PACE participation fee is non-refundable. It doesn't matter why you are withdrawing, how early you are withdrawing, or how many payments you have submitted; the participation fee portion of your first PACE payment is not returned to you. Remember that the participation fee is not part of your registration fees, but is added to them. Since even a "100% refund" doesn't exceed the amount of your registration fees, then the participation fee remains paid. So don't be surprised if any refund check you receive falls at least $25.00 short of your expectations ($60.00 short for non-residents).
Several campus departments have a claim on the withdrawal refund, making it difficult to predict whether or not it can be applied to PACE. Unfortunately, it takes a while to reconcile all the competing interests. The withdrawal refund may not be available to PACE until several weeks after you leave UCI. When financial aid is involved, it may not be offered to PACE at all.
You can help by letting PACE in Campus Billing Services know that you're leaving as soon as your withdrawal has been recorded by the Registrar's office. We'll make a notation in your account, and advise you to pay any portion of your balance that won't be cleared in the event that PACE is awarded the withdrawal refund. We'll monitor the reconciliation process on your behalf and advise you of any changes with a reminder statement. Please keep in mind that we share your interest in having the withdrawal refund applied to PACE as quickly as possible. Take a moment to read the scenarios below, and don't hesitate to ask questions if you need more information.
If you haven't finished paying your PACE installments, then you should check the total due for any remaining installments. If you withdrew early, you may be surprised to find that the total due is less than the withdrawal refund. That means that you already paid enough for the small portion of the quarter that you attended. There may be a small overage which we will apply to any other outstanding debts; otherwise you should receive a check from Student Fee Accounting.
If you withdraw later in the quarter, then the total due for any remaining installments may exceed the withdrawal refund. Applying the refund still leaves a balance due for one or both of the installments, meaning that your payments to date were not enough to pay for the portion of the quarter you already attended. You can see that the longer you wait to withdraw, the larger the balance you'll still owe to PACE. Withdraw too late, when there is no refund, and you must pay all 3 installments even though you stopped attending.
You are responsible for paying remaining installments by the scheduled 10th of the month deadlines; otherwise, there will be a hold on your student records. Remember that late charges can be assessed if you haven't made any payment within 30 days of the installment due date. If you are unsure about how much to pay, save yourself a late charge assessment by applying a small payment to each installment before its due date. You should see any balance still owed on one of the reminder notices sent to you during the quarter.
If you have retired all three installments, then you have repaid PACE completely for this quarter's registration fees. When the withdrawal credit becomes available, we will use it to clear any other outstanding debts in your account whenever possible. If any portion of the refund remains, you should receive a check from Student Fee Accounting.
If you received a disbursement this quarter, then withdrawing from UCI may have reduced your eligibility for Financial Aid. Be sure to consult your Financial Aid counselor for the specific changes to your award. You may be informed that federal, state, and/or university regulations mandate refunding some or all of the withdrawal credit to the source(s) of your aid.
The rules are non-negotiable, so you don't get a choice about this matter. PACE doesn't have any say either, despite the fact that we paid your registration fees in full on your behalf. When the withdrawal credit is appropriated by Financial Aid, then it cannot be applied to your PACE plan. You must pay all remaining installments in full by the due dates printed on your PACE agreement.
It's always a good idea to check with Campus Billing if you expect to use PACE after a break in enrollment at UCI. Receiving your new agreement will depend on your status when the registration fee payment period begins. If you are required to readmit, then you may not receive an agreement automatically. If you are absent for a quarter or more, your application may lapse from our database making it necessary for you to reapply.