Financial Aid

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

i. The first time they take the course, the student receives a 'F' grade;
ii. They repeat the course and receive a 'D' grade, however...
iii. Their major requires a ‘C’ or better, so they retake the course but make a ‘D’ grade;
iv. Student retakes the course and makes a ‘C’ grade. 

Answer: Because the student received an 'F' grade for their first course attempt, their second attempt was still covered by their federal/state aid. Therefore, the student received federal/state aid to cover their first three course attempts, but not their fourth because after making a 'D' on their second attempt, the student only had one more chance to take the course and have it covered by their federal/state aid. Therefore, the student's federal/state aid did not cover their fourth attempt at taking the course.

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

i. The first time they take the course, the student receives a 'D' grade;
ii. They repeat the course but choose to officially withdraw with a 'W' and don't receive a letter grade;
iii. The next semester they repeat the course again and receive a 'F' grade;
iv. The student repeats the course again and receives a 'C' grade.

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. Therefore, the above student received federal/state funds to help cover the course for the first three course attempts, but not the fourth because, since the student withdrew from their second attempt, their third attempt now counts as their final chance to utilize federal/state aid to cover that course. Therefore, the student is not eligible to receive federal/state aid to cover the fourth attempt's costs. 

Scenario 3: A student takes and repeats the same course as follows:

i. The first time they take the course, the student receives an 'F' grade;
ii. They repeat the course but choose to officially withdraw with a 'W' and don't receive a letter grade;
iii. They repeat the course the next semester and receive a 'D' grade;
iv. The student repeats the course again and receives a 'C' grade.

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. In the above scenario, the student received federal/state aid for all four attempts because the 'F' they received on their first attempt is not considered 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 with a 'D', the fourth attempt counts as the student's final paid course retake. Therefore, the student can utilize their federal/state aid to cover their fourth attempt.

Course Program of Study (CPoS) is a federal/state requirement that allows only courses that count toward a student's program of study (your declared major) to be considered when determining federal/state financial aid eligibility.

While CPoS is not a new requirement, software enhancements became available for Tennessee Tech to begin actively monitoring CPoS during the Fall 2019 semester. All higher education institutions administering federal/state aid are required to consider CPoS.

Courses that are not eligible towards your program of study cannot be counted toward your full-time status (12 or more hours). Therefore, if you have registered for a course that does not count towards your program of study, it may affect the amount of federal/state aid you receive to cover your semester costs and could potentially lead to an adjustment in your budget for an aid year. 

For example, if a student is enrolled in 12 hours but 4 of those do not count towards that declared program fo study (major), the federal/state aid that student is eligible will disburse based on the 8 credit hours that apply towards their major.

CPoS applies to federal financial aid (Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG Grant, Federal Direct Loans and Federal PLUS Loans) and most state aid (the HOPE Scholarships and TSAC Scholarships/Grants).

In general, institutional aid is not affected by CPoS. This means that CPoS guidelines do not change a student’s eligibility for receiving institutional aid.

Please note, however, that institutional aid is held to a student’s total Cost of Attendance, or budget, assigned each academic year. This means that on very rare occasions, a student who has received a financial aid package that meets their budget for an aid year could be impacted if they take a course that is not included in their program of study (declared major), which leads to an adjustment in their Cost of Attendance.

Example: An in-state undergraduate student who registers for 12 hours for Fall and Spring has a budget of $25,900 for the academic year. If, however, only 3 of those 12 hours count towards their program of study each term, this would reduce their total budget for the year to $21,638 due to CPoS guidelines for federal/state aid. If this takes place, it is possible that the student's institutional aid would be reduced to stay within the student's the new cost of attendance.

As long as 12 of those 17 hours count towards your program of study (your major), you are considered a full-time student and your awarded federal/state aid will pay out in full to help pay your semester costs. So, even if 3 of your 17 registered hours do not count towards your program of study, you will still receive the full amount of your aid.

No. For federal student loans to pay towards your balance, you must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours (half-time). Because only 4 of the 9 hours you have registered for count towards your program of study, you are below half-time and not considered eligible to utilize your federal student loan offers or your state aid. Students with Federal PELL Grants may still be able to receive a reduced portion of their grant below the half-time status.

Students enrolled in courses impacted by CPoS are notified via their Tennessee Tech student email. Students will only be notified if CPoS impacts their federal/state financial aid eligibility. Please note that portions of your federal/state aid may be prorated/reduced to match your credit hour status.

If you notice that one of your courses is not counting or receive an email from our office stating as such, contact your advisor! Remember, do not begin modifying your schedule without consulting your academic advisor first.

Once contacted, your advisor will review your account to determine whether the system is accurately assessing your enrollment. If the system is not, and your registered courses have been approved to count as part of your declared major, a course substitution request must be submitted by a designated advisor in your college/school to have the course(s) updated to count toward your federal/state financial aid eligibility in the system.

Course Program of Study (CPoS) works in conjunction with a student’s Degree Works audit. Therefore, it is important for advisors and students to refer to Degree Works. Requirements are based on the catalog year in effect when a student officially enters their program of study, aka when their major is officially declared at the time of admission to Tech or a change of major is filed with the Registrar’s Office.

If an academic advisor determines a course is not satisfying a requirement for your program of study (declared major), it will not count toward your federal/state financial aid eligibility. You should consult with an academic advisor to consider an appropriate course of action (adding a required course, dropping the ineligible course, or remaining enrolled in the ineligible course).

No. There is not an appeal process for courses that do not satisfy a requirement of a student's program of study. However, if a course has been approved as a substitution by your advisor, your Degree Works will update to officially reflect the changes once the substitution form is submitted to Tech's Registrar Office. An approved substitution allows that course to count toward your federal/state financial aid eligibility.

In some instances, certain courses may not accurately reflect in the system. These situations are reviewed on a case by case basis to make a final determination if the course is eligible in your program. If you notice a course you have registered for is not counting towards your CPoS but you believe it should, contact your advisor. Remember, do not begin modifying your schedule without consulting your advisor!

The substitution process requires action from multiple departments. Once received by the Registrar's Office, please allow 3-5 business days for your financial aid to reflect the substitution.

The CPoS automated review process runs automatically overnight and only reviews/processes 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 clear from your account within 24 hours of the overnight CPoS process. Additionally, your financial aid will automatically update to reflect your new eligibility within 24 hours of the overnight CPoS process.

Please note, however, that a Request for Major Change is a manual process and requires additional processing time.

Yes. If your registered courses are not satisfying a requirement for your declared major, the system will flag the courses as ineligible and they will not count toward your federal/state financial aid eligibility.

Please note that some courses may be required by both your declared major and the major you are taking classes for, and will therefore not be flagged by our system. Regardless, you should still update your officially declared major through your advisor as soon as possible, as this may cause issues later.

The federal financial aid census, or the day your course schedule/status is locked in, is finalized on the last day to add courses for the term. This is normally the 14th day of classes after the start of a term. Your federal/state financial aid eligibility for the term is based on your locked-in schedule.

Do not wait until the last minute to submit schedule updates, as major program changes are not immediate. It is the student's responsibility to ensure their major accurately reflects their current enrollment and any updates are submitted in sufficient time to allow for processing.

Possibly, if the electives satisfy a requirement for your declared major. Each degree program has variable numbers of required electives - some programs have very few, if any, electives, while others have a significant number of electives available.

If you are notified that one of your electives is not counting toward your program of study, contact your advisor. If an advisor determines that the elective is satisfying a requirement and counts toward your declared major, they will submit a substitution request to the Registrar's Office.

Unless a declared minor is required for your degree, federal and state aid will not cover your minor degree path. CPoS only considers a student's chosen major unless minor coursework is required for degree completion, fulfills elective credits, or meets general education requirements. Consult your advisor if you have questions regarding your minor. 

Undergraduate double majors must be officially declared and reflected in Degree Works by the census date (14th calendar day of a full term for fall or spring semester) to be included as eligible coursework for federal/state financial aid.

Federal/state financial aid can help cover Study Abroad course costs if the the registered courses apply towards outstanding coursework in your officially declared program of study.