Course Program of Study (CPoS)

Students will be notified by the Office of Financial Aid if their Federal Financial Aid is impacted due to enrollment in classes that do not apply to their degree program. They will be able to see the courses that are not applicable on the Financial Aid tab in Pounce. 

We will start applying CPoS during registration for the Spring 2026 semester. 

We highly encourage continuing students to officially declare their added major by the priority deadlines. At the very least, all curriculum changes should be completed prior to the first day of classes.

Students receiving financial aid are welcome to take classes that are not required for their program of study. However, they will need to pay for those classes out-of-pocket or with excess financial aid.

Scholarships do not require that students enroll in courses in their program of study. Scholarship awards will not be based on classes counted in the student’s major.

Students enrolled in courses impacted by CPoS will be notified via their AU email and Financial Aid tab in Pounce. Note that students will only be notified if CPoS impacts their Federal Financial Aid eligibility.

Do NOT begin modifying your schedule without consultation with an academic advisor! An advisor will be able to review your registration and 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, contact your academic advisor to discuss options.

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). Examples include the Pell Grant, SEOG Grant, Direct 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 require 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.

INSTITUTIONAL Financial Aid: This 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: Athletic Scholarships and Departmental Scholarships, etc. CPoS DOES NOT impact any of these awards.

If a student believes a course should count, but it isn’t, they should contact their academic advisor.

Double majors must be officially declared and reflected in the student’s JagTrax by the end of the Drop/Add period. Courses counting toward undeclared majors will not be included in the program of study.

NOTE: Requests for major changes and course substitutions are not immediate and require manual updates in the system.

Two separate evaluations affect whether a course counts for Federal financial aid: program of study evaluation and repeated coursework evaluation. A course will count toward the program of study if it appears in the student’s degree evaluation, even if it’s a repeat of a previously taken course. However, to be eligible for Federal financial aid, the course must also meet repeated coursework evaluation guidelines.

For example:
• If a student fails a course (‘F’), they can retake it unlimited times until they earn a
passing grade (‘D’ or higher).
• Once a student earns a ‘D’ or better, they can retake the course only one more time
with aid.
• Even if a ‘D’ doesn’t meet academic program requirements, it is considered passing for
federal aid purposes.

It depends on your situation. Certain degree programs have a minor requirement. If it is a requirement for the completion of the degree program, then yes, those classes are eligible. If your degree program does not require a minor and you have no electives remaining, then no. However, if your program includes elective credits, you may use those electives to take courses that count toward a minor as long as those courses also count toward your degree program. In that case, they would be eligible for Federal Financial Aid.

Students that haven’t declared a major must do so by the completion of 60 credit hours in order to remain eligible for federal and state financial aid.

Contact your academic advisor to see if a different course could be substituted for the unavailable course in your program of study.

• Student registers for courses other than instructed by advisor and 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 and are not appropriate to the program of study/major.
• 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.

To stay eligible for full-time federal and state financial aid, any courses you take while abroad must meet your degree requirements or electives.

International students are not affected by this regulation, as you do not qualify and/or receive federal or state financial aid. 

ROTC courses are considered electives and must fall within the allowable electives for your degree program, or be taken with at least 12 hours of qualifying coursework. 

If you're a student receiving VA Benefits, these benefits are generally paid for courses required by your degree path, although a few exceptions may apply. If you have questions about course eligibility, please contact Military & Veteran Services.