Reviewed & Updated: August 2025
Census Date
The Census Date is the official point in the academic term when student enrollment is measured for financial aid eligibility and institutional reporting. To comply with federal regulations, students must demonstrate academic engagement in each course by the Census Date to be considered enrolled for Title IV financial aid purposes.
Definition of Academic Engagement:
Academic engagement refers to active participation by a student in an instructional activity related to their course of study that:
- Is defined by the institution in accordance with any applicable State or accrediting agency requirements; and
- Includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following:
- Attending a synchronous class, lecture, recitation, or field/laboratory activity (in person or online) where interaction with the instructor is possible;
- Submitting an academic assignment;
- Taking an assessment or exam;
- Participating in an interactive tutorial, webinar, or other interactive computer-assisted instruction;
- Engaging in an institution-assigned study group, group project, or online discussion;
- Interacting with an instructor about academic matters.
Activities Not Considered Academic Engagement Include:
- Living in institutional housing;
- Participating in the institution’s meal plan;
- Logging into an online class or tutorial without further participation;
- Participating solely in academic counseling or advisement.
Students who do not demonstrate academic engagement in a course by the Census Date will be administratively dropped from that course and will not be eligible to receive financial aid for it. Faculty are required to confirm student engagement through at least one qualifying activity as defined above.
Courses that must be completed in succession:
Students with courses that must be completed in succession will not be administratively dropped from the courses at Census Date. The Financial Aid Office will note these courses and will wait to receive a participation update from the course instructor prior to disbursing aid for the course(s).
Late Start Courses:
Instructors will report on academic engagement for late start courses at the 8-week census date. The Financial Aid Office will disburse financial aid following this census date for the late start courses.