Popular searches

Course Program of Study (CPoS)

Contact Us

Office of Financial Aid

Georgia Southern University Post Office Box 8065 Statesboro, Georgia 30460-8065

Do Your Courses Count?

The Department of Education is placing an important emphasis on federal financial aid rules that may impact the amount of aid you receive. This is referred to as Course Program of Study (CPoS). This may result in the reduction of your scholarships, loans and grants.

Specifically, for federal aid to pay for courses in your major, minor, or other degree requirements, it must be part of your program of study or be necessary to earn the total hours required for your degree.  Taking courses not a part of your program of study could result in receiving less federal financial aid and potentially having to pay for courses out-of-pocket. 

Please know that courses may move between sections such as “Electives”, “Courses Appropriate to Major” or other sections depending on changes in registration and grade processing.  You should review your audit the day after registering for courses and grade processing for any changes in the placement of courses that may impact your financial aid.  

Academic departments determine program requirements and these will be entered in the degree evaluation program called Degree Works. For the degree requirements for your program of study please visit your course catalog.

Common Reasons for Ineligibility

  • Student registers for courses other than instructed to by advisor that are not required for the declared program.
  • Course is a substitution, but the official substitution process is not complete.
  • Courses are not required in the student’s catalog year.
  • Course was previously repeated and no longer qualifies for aid.
    • If the course is already repeated twice, with passing grades, it is not eligible for financial aid. The student may register for a different eligible course.
  • Course is an elective and the student already fulfilled all electives.
    • Electives are correctly calculated in Degree Works. If electives are fulfilled and a substitution is not completed, the course is not eligible for federal aid.

What is the Impact on Your Financial Aid?

You may only receive federal financial aid for outstanding coursework that counts towards your declared program of study.  As of now, state and institutional aid (such as scholarships) are not subject to the same federal regulatory restrictions; however, your cost of attendance will be based on coursework that applies to your declared program of study.  This could result in a reduced amount of state or institutional aid as total aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance.  Dropping or not attending courses (NA or NP grades) can negatively impact your eligibility for current or future aid.

Financial aid is initially awarded based on the assumption undergraduate students will enroll full-time and graduate students will enroll half-time in courses that are part of the declared program of study.

If your federal financial aid is reduced due to enrollment in coursework that does not count towards your declared program of study, you should review the program requirements in degree works and adjust your schedule; or, contact your academic to discuss your academic options. 

Examples:

  • If you are eligible for a Pell Grant and enroll in 12 hours and only 9 of the 12 hours are required towards your declared program of study, the Pell Grant will be reduced to a three-quarter award based on the 9 eligible hours. You may still be eligible to receive full time scholarship and/or Georgia state grant or scholarship funds.
  • Federal student loans for undergraduate students require 6 eligible hours of enrollment or 5 eligible hours for graduate students. If you are enrolled in 5 hours and only 3 hours are required for your program of study, you are not eligible for a federal student loan.

Scenarios

Scenarios are only estimates based on in-state rates for one semester. All scenarios involve the same student registration with different situations.

GUS is a sophomore. GUS is awarded Pell Grant, loans, HOPE, and outside scholarships. GUS enrolls in 15 hours: ENG 1020 (3); HIST 2020 (3); MATH 1530 (3); SOC 2900 (3) Elective Course (3).

GUS seeks a BS in Psychological Science. All courses are part of the program of study and are eligible for financial aid. 

Result: $10,802 – $9,548 = $1,254.

GUS confirms his classes and receives a $1,254 refund.

GUS is a Nursing major. Two courses are not part of the program of study and are ineligible for financial aid. Nursing does not include electives, and the elective course is not required. SOC 2900 is not required for the program. GUS is registered for 15 credit hours, but can only receive aid for 9 credit hours.

Result: $9,548 – $8,983 = (-$565).

GUS must pay $565.00 to the university to confirm classes.

GUS is a Sociology major. The elective course is not required for the program, because GUS already completed all electives. GUS is registered for 15 credit hours, but can only receive aid for 12 credit hours.

Result: $10,802 – $9,548 = $1,254.

Although one course is not required, GUS is eligible for aid at a full-time rate and has sufficient aid to cover all charges. However, student authorization is required to use excess Pell toward ineligible courses and confirm registration. GUS must complete a Title IV Authorization Form to confirm her registration using excess aid or pay out-of-pocket.

GUS is a Biology major. Gus is graduating in the fall and only needs one course to fulfill his degree requirements. GUS is registered for 15 credit hours, but can only receive aid for 3 credit hours.

Result: $9,548 – $5,280 = (-$4,268).

GUS must pay $4,268.00 to the university to confirm classes. GUS would not be eligible for Federal loans because he is only enrolled in 3 hours that count towards his Program of Study. GUS could choose to use the Payment Plan offered through the BURSAR’s office.

* Loans not reduced due to six eligible hours.

**HOPE/Zell Miller and Academic Scholarship not reduced because Course Choice does not impact these programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

A program of study consists of courses required to complete a degree, inclusive of required coursework within the major, concentration, minor, and catalog. The specific courses for a student are identified through a degree evaluation tool (DegreeWorks).

Disbursement of Federal Aid (i.e., Pell Grant, SEOG, Teach Grant, Work-Study, and Direct Loans) is based on coursework that counts toward the program of study. State and Institutional Aid (e.g., Georgia’s HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship, Institutional Scholarships, etc.) are not currently subject to the same regulatory restrictions. However, the cost of attendance for students will be reduced for courses that do not count towards the program of study. This may result in a lower amount of state and institutional aid a student may receive.

Cost of Attendance is an estimate of the cost for students to go to school for a specific amount of time (semester or year) and is based on the student’s enrollment status. Enrollment status for financial aid is based on outstanding coursework that applies toward the officially declared program of study. If you are an undergraduate student enrolled in 12 hours that count towards your program of study, you will be considered a full time student for cost of attendance purposes. However, if only 9 of the 12 hours are required for your officially declared program of study, the tuition and book components of your COA will be reduced to a three-quarter time amount.

DegreeWorks will be used to determine if a course is part of the program of study. A process will run prior to the start of the semester to identify students who are impacted.  Students enrolled in ineligible coursework will be notified through their My.GeorgiaSouthern portal prior to the start of the semester. The process will again run before disbursement of financial aid (generally a few days before the start of the term). The process will continue to run nightly through the Pell Recalculation date (day after drop/add ends). Beyond this point, no further adjustments will be made. It is imperative that all changes to registration, officially declared program of study, and any adjustments to the degree evaluation affecting courses that count be made before the Pell Recalculation date.

The Academic Advisor must approve and process a course substitution by the Pell Recalculation date (day after drop/add ends ) for it to be included as eligible coursework for federal financial aid.

Minors must be required for the degree, or fulfill an elective, in order to be included as eligible coursework for federal financial aid.

Double majors must be officially declared and reflected in the degree evaluation by the Pell Recalculation date (day after drop/add ends) to be included as eligible coursework for federal financial aid.  If all of the requirements for a major are fulfilled the student becomes a post-baccalaureate at that time.

If a program of study has specific courses that can count as electives, then only those will be eligible unless an adjustment is made by the academic advisor. If there is no specified list, then any course will count as long as open elective hours exist in the program of study.

These courses count for federal financial aid only if they are required in the student’s program of study. However, if a student is enrolled as a regular student in an eligible program of study and is required to take a prerequisite course prior to enrolling in a required course for the program, the prerequisite may be included in the COA and federal aid determination. No more than a maximum of 30 attempted hours inclusive of remedial / developmental and prerequisite coursework from all post-secondary schools combined can count for federal financial aid purposes.

  • If a Federal Pell Grant or Federal SEOG is disbursed by the Pell Recalculation date (day after drop/add ends), eligibility is based on your program of study as of the census date.
  • If a Federal Pell Grant or Federal SEOG is disbursed after the Pell Recalculation date (day after drop/add ends), eligibility is based on your program of study as of the date of disbursement.
  • For Federal Direct Loan purposes, your eligibility is based on your program of study as of the date of disbursement. 
  • If you change your program of study beyond the census date and the current semester coursework no longer applies toward your new program of study, your previously disbursed federal aid will not be reduced since you were eligible at the time of disbursement or census date, as applicable.   However, if you decide to make application for a Federal Direct Loan beyond the Pell Recalculation date, and you are not enrolled at least half-time in eligible coursework that applies toward your new program of study, you will not be eligible for the Federal Direct Loan.

If you need to take courses that are not in your program of study, it is likely that you are not in the program that best fits your educational goal. You need to meet with an Academic Advisor to ensure you are in the correct program of study. Changing your program of study can only be done with your advisor and should be done with great caution because it may impact your eligibility for future semesters. Always work with an academic advisor and the AP One Stop when you are changing from one program to another as it can cause you to lose financial aid eligibility by reaching the maximum time-frame for completion of degree (150% rule). 

Coursework attempted for the sole purpose of completing state requirements for Teacher Licensure or Add‐On Endorsement certification counts as eligible coursework for Federal Direct Loans. Federal Direct Loan eligibility is based on undergraduate annual / aggregate loan limits regardless of class level. Since Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Licensure is not a degree program, it is not monitored through the degree evaluation tool (DegreeWorks).  You must be enrolled at least half-time in coursework listed on your Program of Study each semester to qualify for a Federal Direct Loan.

Only courses that are part of the program of study as documented in the degree evaluation tool (DegreeWorks) are eligible for federal aid. For example, if you only need 3 hours to graduate but you choose to register for 6 hours to qualify for a Federal Direct Loan, you will not be eligible for the Direct Loan. Though your federal aid does not include ineligible coursework, you may still qualify for state and institutional aid based on your total enrollment.

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

Institutional Scholarships and scholarships administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission, such as the HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarships do not currently require your courses to count in your officially declared program of study. However, the cost of attendance will be reduced for courses that are not counting in the program of study, which may result in a lower amount of institutional and state aid a student may receive.

Email or make an appointment with your academic advisor if you need to make adjustments to your officially declared program. 

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 half-time enrollment award. You may be eligible to receive Federal Loans because you are enrolled at least half-time status in eligible coursework (see Enrollment Status Chart above). As applicable, your institutional and state 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.

The answer is no if you are an undergraduate student and yes if you are a graduate student. To receive a federal student loan, you must be enrolled at least half-time in credit hours that apply toward your officially declared program of study.

Financial aid will disburse based on full-time enrollment status. 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.

Your federal aid is based on coursework that applies toward outstanding requirements in your program of study. Therefore, your federal aid may be reduced. You have two options:

  1. Meet with your Academic Advisor to discuss your academic options. If the semester has not started, it may be in your best interest to drop the ineligible course(s) and enroll only in courses in your officially declared program that will be eligible for federal financial aid. 
    OR
  2. If the semester has already begun and your financial aid does not cover all of your tuition costs, you will be responsible for the outstanding balance owed. In some instances, your financial aid, although it has been reduced, is still enough to pay for your course(s) that are not in your program. If not, the ineligible courses can be paid for out of pocket.

You are not eligible for federal financial aid. If eligible, you may use your scholarships or the HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship toward your balance owed. Georgia Southern offers a Payment Plan through the BURSAR’s office for students to help ease the burden of paying for college. However, if you plan on receiving financial aid in the future, then it is imperative that you maintain a good GPA and Pace of Progression. You may end up on financial aid suspension if you fail to do so.