The U.S. Department of Education (ED) regulations require that a student must be enrolled in a degree-seeking program to receive federal financial aid (Grants, Loans, Work-Study). Funds will only be disbursed for the courses needed to fulfill the program of study requirements.

Students enrolling in courses that are not required to complete their officially declared major and/or minor could see their financial aid prorated and/or cancelled as required by the Department of Education.

 

What is CPoS?

Course Program of Study (CPoS) is the process that is run to identify courses within a student’s program of study. This technology will compare the courses a student registers for each term with the degree requirements listed on their DegreeWorks worksheet. Courses that do not apply towards a student’s officially declared program of study will be ineligible for federal financial aid.

How it Works?

  • CPoS will check each student’s schedule to identify courses that do not meet CPoS criteria (See criteria below).
  • Students will be notified via their PVAMU email or in Panther Tracks if their aid may be impacted. Students will be directed to check their DegreeWorks worksheet and consult an advisor to adjust their schedule.

What Does This Mean?

  • Aid could be adjusted if a student is not registered in courses that apply to their officially declared program of study. Students should plan carefully and ensure that their registration aligns with their degree program requirements.
  • Students should review their DegreeWorks if they receive a CPoS notification. Students are encouraged to develop their course schedules early with their advisor prior to registration to ensure compliance.

Please see FAQ’s below

Impact for Undergraduates

(Credits towards degree)

  • Full-time Pell Grant
  • Federal SEOG
  • Federal Work-Study
  • Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Loans, Parent PLUS Loan
  • TEACH Grant
  • Three quarter time Pell Grant
  • Federal SEOG
  • Federal Work-Study
  • Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Loans, Parent PLUS Loan
  • TEACH Grant
  • Half time Pell Grant
  • Federal SEOG
  • Federal Work-Study
  • Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Loans, Parent PLUS Loan
  • TEACH Grant
  • Less than half time Pell Grant
  • Federal SEOG — Ineligible
  • Federal Work-Study — Ineligible
  • Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Loans, Parent PLUS Loan — Ineligible
  • TEACH Grant – Ineligible

Impact for Graduates

(Credits towards degree)

  • Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loan 
  • Federal Work-Study
  • Federal Grad PLUS Loan
  • TEACH Grant

 

  • Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loan 
  • Federal Work-Study
  • Federal Grad PLUS Loan 
  • TEACH Grant

 

  • Ineligible for federal aid


 

CPoS FAQ’s

CPoS only applies to FEDERAL financial aid (e.g., Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG Grant, Federal Direct Loans, Federal PLUS Loans, Federal Work-Study, and Federal TEACH Grant). 

CPoS does not impact eligibility for state or institutional financial aid (e.g., Class Of 1958 Scholarship Houston Livestock Scholarship, TEXAS Grant, etc.).

Also refer to the FAQ:  “Why do the CPoS guidelines say that State and Institutional Aid are not affected, but then say it could be reduced?”

The rules and regulations for state and institutional aid are not affected by CPoS. This means that CPoS guidelines do not change a student’s eligibility for receiving state and institutional aid. However, state and institutional aid have always been held to a student’s total cost of attendance (budget) assigned each academic year. This means that on a very rare occasion, a student who has a total financial aid package that is up to their cost of attendance could be impacted if a student takes a course that is not included in their program of study (declared major/minor) and the cost of attendance has to be adjusted. 

Example: An in-state undergraduate student who takes 12 hours fall/spring could have a cost of attendance of $25,900 for the academic year. If 3 of the 12 hours did not count in their program each term, their cost of attendance will be reduced by their total cost of attendance allowed for 9 hours for the year to $21,638 due to CPoS guidelines for federal aid.  The only time state or institutional aid might be affected would be if it were necessary to reduce those funds to stay within the new cost of attendance.

The term “financial aid” refers to any funding designed to assist with your educational expenses. Most financial aid flows through the university and is applied directly to your student account.

Federal Financial Aid is generally determined based on the information included on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and comes from the U.S. Department of Education.

Examples include Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG Grant, Federal Loans, Federal PLUS Loans, Federal Work-Study, and Federal TEACH Grant. CPoS does impact these awards.

State Financial Aid may also use information included on the FAFSA to determine eligibility but sometimes requires an additional application. The primary difference is the source of funding is from the state government.

Examples include the TEXAS Grant, Texas Work-Study, and Texas Public Education Grant (TPEG). CPoS does not impact any of these awards (refer to FAQ:  “Why do the CPoS guidelines say that State and Institutional Aid are not affected, but then says it could be reduced?”).

Institutional Financial Aid may also use information included on the FAFSA to determine eligibility but primarily looks at other factors such as high school GPA, standardized test scores, and performance.

Examples include L.C. Anderson Scholarship, Athletic Scholarships, Departmental Scholarships, etc. CPoS does not impact any of these awards (refer to FAQ: “Why do the CPoS guidelines say that State and Institutional Aid are not affected, but then says it could be reduced?”).

Students enrolled in courses impacted by CPoS will be notified via their PVAMU student email. Students will only be notified if CPoS impacts their federal financial aid eligibility. Please note, some portion of your federal aid may be prorated/reduced based on less than full-time status.

Courses that are not eligible cannot be counted toward your full-time status. In other words, if you are pursuing an undergraduate degree, the full-time cost of attendance (COA) requirement says you must be enrolled in at least 12 eligible hours.

For example, if 9 of your 12 hours are in your Course Program of Study, but 3 of your hours do not count toward your major or minor, your COA will reflect that you are not a full-time student (only 75%), which could reduce your state and institutional scholarships. Remember: We cannot award aid over your specific cost of attendance.

Contact your academic advisor. Do not begin modifying your schedule without consultation with an academic advisor!

An advisor will be able to review your account to determine whether the system is accurately assessing your enrollment. If not and your enrollment has been approved to count as part of your declared major/minor, a course substitution request can be submitted by a designated advisor in your college/school to have the course(s) count toward your federal financial aid eligibility. The email notification you receive will inform you to contact your advisor immediately.

Course Program of Study (CPoS) works in conjunction with the student’s Degree Works worksheet. Therefore, it is important for advisors and students to refer to Degree Works. Requirements are based on the catalog year in effect when the student officially entered their program of study (when the major was officially declared at the time of admission to the University or a change of major was filed with the Registrar’s Office).

If an academic advisor has determined that a course does not satisfy a requirement for your program of study (declared major/minor), it will not count toward your federal financial aid eligibility. You should consult with an academic advisor to consider an appropriate course of action (adding a required course, dropping the ineligible course, or remaining enrolled in the ineligible course). It is important to remember most forms of financial aid, including federal financial aid, are limited in nature. Using financial aid to fund coursework required for your program of study is a wise way to use this limited resource.

If you are an undergraduate student, taking more than 12 hours per semester is usually the best way to graduate on time. However, if those excess hours are outside your program of study and are funded by federal loans, you may reach the maximum loan limit before graduation. Once maximum loan limits are reached, the only way to regain eligibility is to repay the aid. Avoiding, or at least limiting, coursework that is outside of your program of study will maximize your financial aid funding.

No. There is no appeal process for courses that do not satisfy a requirement of your program of study. However, if a course has been approved as a substitution, Degree Works will be updated to officially reflect this once the substitution form is submitted and approved. This will allow the course to count toward your federal financial aid eligibility. Additionally, certain courses/scenarios may not be accurately assessed by the system.

These situations will need to be reviewed by an advisor on a case by case basis to make a final determination if the course is eligible in your program. Do not begin modifying your schedule without consultation with an academic advisor!

A course may be in the student’s program of study, but not count toward aid eligibility if it exceeds the number of repeat attempts allowed for federal aid. This is known as the Repeat Rule. If a student receives an ‘F’ grade in a course, they are permitted to retake the course as many times as they need until they make a ‘D’ or higher. Once they have made a ‘D’ or higher, they are only permitted to retake the course one additional time after that. This is regardless of what they make the next time or the grade required for progression in the major/minor (CPoS). 

While a ‘D’ may not be successfully passing to advance a student’s academic program, the federal government’s REPEAT rule considers a ‘D’ as having a passing grade. 

Eligibility and enrollment status for retaking coursework 34 CFR 668.2(b)

The regulatory definition for full-time enrollment status (for undergraduates) allows a student to retake, one time, any previously passed course. For this purpose, passing means any grade higher than an “F,” regardless of any school or program policy requir­ing a higher qualitative grade to have been considered to have passed the course. This retaken class may be counted towards a student’s enrollment status and the student may be awarded Title IV aid for the enrollment status based on the inclusion of the class. See PVAMU’s Repeat Coursework Policy for explanations and examples.

The substitution process requires action from multiple departments. Once processed by the Registrar’s Office, please allow 3-5 business days for your financial aid to reflect the substitution.

Yes. If your enrollment isn’t satisfying a requirement for your declared major/minor, the system will flag the courses as ineligible and they will not count toward your federal financial aid eligibility. Note: Some courses may be required by both majors/minors and will not be flagged. You should still update your officially declared major/minor through your advisor as soon as possible. It may not be an issue this semester, but it will eventually pose a problem.

The federal financial aid census (a snapshot of your account) happens on the last day to add courses for the term, normally the 12th day of classes after the start of a term. Your federal financial aid eligibility will be based on this snapshot. Do not wait until the last minute to submit updates as major/minor program changes are not immediate. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure their major/minor accurately reflects their current enrollment and any updates are submitted within sufficient time to allow for processing.

Possibly. Electives must satisfy a requirement of your declared major/minor. Each degree program has variable numbers of electives. Some programs have very few, if any, electives, while others have a significant number of electives available. If you have been notified an elective is not counting toward your federal financial aid eligibility, contact your advisor. If an advisor determines that the elective is satisfying a requirement and will count toward your declared major/minor, they will submit a substitution request.

Study abroad courses may count for federal financial aid if they apply towards outstanding coursework in your officially declared program of study.

Undergraduate double majors must be officially declared and reflected in Degree Works by the census date (12th class day of a full term for fall or spring semester) to be included as eligible coursework for federal financial aid.

Your undergraduate minor must be officially declared and reflected in Degree Works by the census date (12th class day of a full term for fall or spring semester) to be included as eligible coursework for federal financial aid.

Federal financial aid will be disbursed based on the 8 credit hours that apply towards your officially declared program of study. The Federal Pell Grant award will be reduced from a full-time enrollment award to a halftime enrollment award. You may be eligible to receive federal loans because you are enrolled at least half-time status in eligible coursework. As applicable, your state and institutional aid will be based on full-time enrollment. However, because your cost of attendance (COA) will also be reduced to half-time, your total aid may be reduced since it cannot exceed your COA.

No. To receive a federal student loan, you must be enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours) in credit hours that apply toward your officially declared program of study. Because only 4 credits apply to your program of study, you are not enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for federal student loans.

Financial aid will disburse based on full-time enrollment status (this is 12 hours for undergraduate students). If at least 12 of your credits apply towards outstanding requirements in your officially declared program of study, then you are still considered a full-time student for federal financial aid purposes. If eligible, you may receive a full-time Federal Pell Grant and Federal Student Loans (if you have applied for them). Financial aid will pay for any academic-related charges, including the charge for the additional class. However, the financial aid you receive may not be enough to cover all tuition costs, leaving you responsible for paying the remaining balance.

The CPoS automated review process happens nightly. It only reviews updates that are reflected on your account. If the updates have been fully processed and your course is determined to be eligible, the CPoS alert/flag will be cleared within 24 hours of the overnight CPoS process. Your financial aid will automatically update to reflect your new eligibility within 24 hours of the overnight CPoS process. Note: Requests for major/minor changes are not immediate and require manual updates in the system.

Academic Advising – https://www.pvamu.edu/student-success/advising/advisors/