Course Program of Study

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 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, and Federal PLUS Loans to name a few. 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 Promise Scholarship, West Virginia Higher Education Grant, and other WV Scholarships/Grants. CPoS does impact these awards.

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 Marshall University Academic Scholarships, 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 Marshall University 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 for calculating financial aid eligibility. 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 percent), which could reduce your state and Marshall University scholarships. Remember: We cannot award aid in excess of your specific cost of attendance.

One or more of my courses doesn’t count in my program? What should I do?

Course Program of Study (CPoS) works in conjunction with the student’s Degree Works audit. Therefore, it is important for advisors and students to refer to Degree Works located on the student tab of myMU. 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 academic college).

Please review your academic program in DegreeWorks and or the academic map for your selected major.  Academic Maps are available at https://www.marshall.edu/advising/curricular-resources/ and instructions are included on that page to determine your catalog year and the appropriate course list for your program.  The Undergraduate Catalog is available at www.marshall.edu/catalog.  If one or more of your courses does not meet a degree requirement, you should make a schedule adjustment. If you believe the course for which you are enrolled should count towards your degree requirement, please contact your advisor.  If you have a hold or you are uncertain about making a schedule adjustment, please contact your academic advisor.  Your academic advisor is listed in DegreeWorks and myMU and includes a link for email. 

The opportunity to adjust your schedule ends at the end of the first week of class. 

An academic advisor has determined one or more of my courses are not required for my program of study (declared major/minor). What can I do?

If you are registered for one or more courses not applicable to your degree program, that course(s) cannot be covered by your federal financial aid.  As noted in the previous question, you can check your courses at DegreeWorks or by reviewing your academic map or the undergraduate catalog.  If you are uncertain about classes that apply to your degree requirements, you can consult with your academic advisor.  The opportunity to adjust your schedule ends at the end of the first week of class. Sometimes adding a minor is an option so that the course then counts.

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.

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 grade is earned 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, passed 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.

EXAMPLES:

Scenario 1: A student takes and repeats the same course as follows:

1. The first time they take the course, they receive a final grade of D;
2. They repeat the course and officially withdraw with a W in their academic record, (no final grade);
3. They repeat the course again and receive a final grade of F; and then
4. They repeat the course again and receive a final grade of C.

Answer: A course from which a student withdraws does not count as a repetition of a previously passed course for determining a student’s enrollment status. Based on the example provided, the student could be paid for the first three course attempts, but not the fourth. The student withdrew from the second attempt, so it does not count as completing or retaking the course. Since the student passed the first-course attempt, the third attempt counts as the student’s paid course retake, so the student is not eligible for Title IV funds to pay the fourth attempt (even if a C is required for progression of the student’s program of study).

Scenario 2: A student takes and repeats the same course as follows:

1. The first time they take the course, they receive a final grade of F;
2. They repeat the course and officially withdraw with a W in the academic record, (no final grade);
3. They repeat the course again and receive a final grade of D; and then
4. They repeat the course again and receive a final grade of C.

Answer: A course from which a student withdraws does not count as a repetition of a previously passed course for determining a student’s enrollment status. Based on the example provided, the student could be paid for all 4 attempts because an F is not a passing grade. The student withdrew from the second attempt, so it does not count as completing or retaking the course. Since the student passed the third-course attempt, the fourth attempt counts as the student’s paid course retake, so the student is eligible for Title IV funds to pay for the fourth attempt.

I am enrolled in courses that aren’t part of my program of study (for example: declared Biology major but enrolled in Marketing courses). Will CPoS impact me?

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.

If you are planning to change your major or declare a minor, you will need to do this prior to the beginning of a semester and make sure your course registrations for that term apply to the new major/minor.  The process for initiating a major change begins with your current academic advisor in your current college.

The opportunity to adjust your schedule ends at the end of the first week of class.

When is the last day to make major/minor changes or modify my enrollment to potentially impact CPoS?

The federal financial aid census (a snapshot of your account) happens on the last day to add courses for the term, normally the 5th 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 insufficient time to allow for processing.

Possibly.  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 end of the first week of class for a regular fall or spring semester, to be included as eligible coursework for federal financial aid. Please check the academic calendar at https://www.marshall.edu/academic-calendar/ for the last day for schedule adjustments for summer terms.

Your undergraduate minor must be officially declared and reflected in Degree Works by the first week of class for a regular fall or spring semester to be included as eligible coursework for federal financial aid. Please check the academic calendar at https://www.marshall.edu/academic-calendar/ for the last day for schedule adjustments for summer terms.

I’m enrolled in 12 undergraduate hours, but 4 of those hours don’t count towards my officially declared program of study. How does that affect my 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 enrollment based on 8 hours. 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.

I want federal student loans, but only 4 out of my 9 enrolled hours apply towards outstanding requirements in my officially declared program of study. Can I still get loans?

No. 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. Because only 4 credits apply to your program of study, you are not enrolled at least half-time to be eligible.

For the upcoming semester, I plan to enroll in 17 hours, which includes a 3 hour class that doesn’t apply toward outstanding requirements in my officially declared program of study. Will financial aid pay for the ineligible 3-hour class?

Financial aid will be disbursed 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. However, the financial aid you receive may not be enough to cover all tuition costs, leaving you responsible for paying the remaining balance.

I have been notified one or more of my courses are not counting toward my federal financial aid eligibility due to CPoS, I consulted with an advisor, and we made updates to my enrollment and/or program of study (declared major/minor). When will I know if the changes “fixed” the problem?

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.