Course Program of Study (CPoS)
The U.S. Department of Education regulations require that the student be enrolled in an eligible degree-seeking or certificate-seeking program to receive federal financial aid (grants, loans, work-study, etc.). To qualify for financial aid, the student must be enrolled in courses that are applicable toward the student’s degree or certificate.
If a student is enrolled in courses that are not required to complete his or her eligible degree or certificate, the student’s financial aid award could be prorated or cancelled as required by the U.S. 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. Courses that do not apply towards a student’s program of study will be ineligible for federal financial aid.
CPoS was designed and has been found to help students finish their degree program faster by focusing on the completion of course work tied directly to program of study. Timely degree completion also reduces student costs, including debt a student may choose to take on in order to graduate.
In order to remain eligible to receive full-time federal and state financial aid, the student must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours within their degree program. If a student is under the 12-credit hour mark, their federal and state financial aid will be prorated dependent on their total amount of qualifying hours.
Make Sure Your Courses Count
Before you register for classes, you can meet with your academic advisor to make sure that the courses for which you plan to register will count toward completing your degree and are eligible for federal and state funding.
Timeline for CPoS
TBD
CPoS FAQ
A program of study/major consists of courses required to complete a specific degree, inclusive of required coursework within the major, concentration, and catalog. The specific courses for a program of study/major are identified through Degreeworks.
Students can take classes that are not required for their major but they will need to pay for those courses out-of-pocket or with non-federal financial aid.
For many years, the US Department of Education has required that institutions ensure federal financial aid funds are used to pay for courses that apply to a student's degree program. CSU will begin actively implementing CPoS in Summer 2024.
CSU will begin actively implementing CPoS in Summer 2024.
A student's course registration will begin being reviewed one week after registration opens.
The last date to make adjustments to your schedule or major will be the last day of the add/drop period for the session the class(es) begin.
International students will not be affected by this regulation as you do not qualify and/or receive federal or state financial aid.
- If a student registers for courses other than the ones instructed by their Academic Advisor
- If a student registers for courses that are not required by their declared major
- Course is a substitution but the official substitution process is not complete
- Courses are not required in the student's catalog year and are not appropriate to the program of study/major.
- Course was previously repeated and no longer qualifies for aid. If the course is repeated twice, with passing grades, it is not eligible for financial aid.
- Course is an elective and the student has already fulfilled all electives
Electives outlined within Degreeworks will count towards the program of study/major. Any course listed in fallthrough or over the limit in Degreeworks will not count towards the program of study/major, and therefore, will not be covered by Financial Aid.
These courses count for federal financial aid only if they are required in the student's program of study/major. However, if a student is enrolled as a regular student in an eligible program of study/major and is required to take a pre-requisite course prior to enrolling in a required course for the program, the pre-requisite may be included in the cost of attendance and federal aid determination. No more than a maximum of 30 attempted hours inclusive of learning support pre-requisite coursework from all post-secondary schools combined can count for federal financial aid purposes.
Email or make an appointment with your academic advisor to discuss further.
Email or make an appointment with your academic advisor to discuss your options.
Learning support courses (classes below the 1000 level) are eligible for financial aid up to a maximum of 30 attempted remedial hours. If the student is otherwise eligible for federal financial aid, the credits for the remedial courses will be considered as in-program and eligible for federal financial aid.
- Ensure your declared major is correct
- Email or schedule an appointment with your academic advisor
- Check your financial aid award
No. Students are only permitted to take classes that are listed in their current program of study (declared major).
Degreeworks will identify courses that are eligible and ineligible to receive federal financial aid.
It is listed directly on the degreeworks profile in the "major" field.
Financial aid will not pay for classes that are not in the student's current major.
It is listed directly on the degreeworks profile in the "advisor" field.
Use the "change your major" option in the DUCK.
Use the "change your major" option in the DUCK.
Please email or schedule an appointment with your academic advisor as soon as you've made the decision to change your major.
The last date to change your major will be the last day of the add/drop period for the full session classes during that term.
- Only courses that satisfy your program of study/major will be eligible for federal funding.
- Pre-requisite courses and support courses (classes below the 1000 level) are eligible for financial aid funding up to a maximum of 30 attempted remedial hours. The student is otherwise eligible for federal financial aid, the credits for the remedial courses will be considered as in-program and eligible for federal financial aid.
- Students receiving federal financial aid can take classes not required for their program of study/major, but will need to pay for those classes out-of-pocket or with non-federal financial aid.
Federal funds could be impacted by CPoS.
The course substitution process is completely manual and requires action from multiple departments. Please allow 7-10 business days for your financial aid to reflect the course substitution.
Financial aid will be awarded on 8 credit hours. This would allow you to receive any loans you are eligible to receive and ¾ of your PELL grant.
- First, the term "financial aid" refers to any funding designed to assist with your educational expenses. Most financial aid flows through the school and is applied directly to your student account.
- Federal Financial Aid: This 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 the Pell Grant, SEOG Grant, Stafford Loans, and PLUS loans to name a few. CPoS DOES impact these awards.
- State Financial Aid: This financial aid may also use information included on the FAFSA to determine eligibility, but sometimes requires an additional application. The primary difference is that the source of funding is from the state government. Examples include the HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarship. CPoS DOES NOT impact any of these awards.
Scholarships do not require that students enroll in courses in their program of study/major. Scholarship awards will not be based on classes counted in the student's program of study/major.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is based on total hours taken and not federal aid eligible hours taken. All hours will continue to count towards Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
Classes that are not covered by financial aid will be listed directly on your degreeworks record.