COURSE PROGRAM OF STUDY POLICY
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, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, work-study compensation, 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.
If you would like to enroll in courses that do not count toward your degree, review the Panther Answer articles below before enrolling. If you still have questions, contact the Student Financial Management Center by submitting a Panther Answer ticket.
Financial aid is awarded based on the number of credit hours applicable toward your degree. Some federal and state financial aid requires you be enrolled as a full-time student.
- Undergraduate students are considered full time when they are enrolled in at least 12 credit hours applicable toward their degree.
- Graduate students are considered full time when they are enrolled in at least 9 credit hours applicable toward their degree.
If you are receiving Pell or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity grants and are not enrolled in courses full time, your award will be reduced. If you are not enrolled in courses at least half time, you will not be eligible for loans.
A program of study consists of courses required to complete a specific degree, inclusive of required coursework within the major, concentration, minor and catalog. The specific courses for a program of study are identified through a degree evaluation tool available to you through the student portal, Panther Access to Web Services (PAWS).
Reminder: Federal aid will only cover the cost of courses that apply toward your degree requirements. Use the checklist below to ensure the courses you register for are applicable toward your degree.
- Check - Check your Academic Evaluation on the student dashboard to identify the courses you need.
- Confirm - Review the Academic Evaluation to confirm the courses you registered for apply toward your degree.
- Adjust - Adjust your registration if needed to ensure courses apply toward your degree.
If you have questions about the course requirements for your degree, contact your academic adviser.
If your major allows for electives, and you have available credits remaining in your elective section, adding electives will not impact your financial aid. However, if you have satisfied all of your elective credits, the additional elective course(s) will likely be ineligible for financial aid.
Prerequisite courses are eligible for financial aid for up to 30 credit hours. The federal guidelines allow prerequisite courses to be included in the 30-hour remedial category. If you take a prerequisite course and have already completed 30 credit hours in the remedial or prerequisite categories, the course will not be eligible for financial aid.
If you have any questions about whether or not a prerequisite course will be eligible for financial aid, submit a Panther Answer ticket.
If you are only receiving Federal Direct loans, you will be eligible for financial aid. If you are receiving federal grants, the amount you receive for the grant will be reduced.
If you are only receiving Federal Direct loans, you will be eligible for financial aid. If you are receiving federal grants, the amount you receive for the grant will be reduced.
If you have a question about your eligibility, submit a Panther Answer ticket.
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