New Mexico State University

Coursework toward Program of Study (CPOS) Requirements

Federal grants, work study, loans, and some scholarships may be reduced if you are not enrolled in enough eligible coursework each term. Only courses that count toward a student’s official program of study (your declared degree/major) can be considered when determining aid eligibility for federal financial aid programs such as grants, work-study, and loans.

To receive federal aid your enrollment status (full-time/part-time) is determined based on courses you enroll in that are included in your major, concentration, or other degree requirements, only if they are necessary to help you earn the total hours required to complete your degree. For students relying upon federal aid to pay for educational expenses while attending New Mexico State University, not paying attention to this rule could affect your full-time enrollment status and ultimately your federal financial aid award amounts.

Why This is Important

Taking courses that are not required to complete your degree will be excluded in the calculation to determine how much federal financial aid you can receive each semester.  Taking classes that are not in your Course Program of Study for your officially declared degree and major may result in a reduction to your overall financial aid package.

Make Courses Count – Work with your Academic Advisor!

As a student, academic advisors are available to assist you in discussing your short-term and long-term educational goals, the best degree fit for you at NMSU, and planning which courses to take each term.  Working together to develop a class schedule that will count towards your degree completion to help you progress through your declared degree as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Officially Declare Your Major:

It is essential that your major or any concentration are officially declared and noted in your student record. If you have been planning to declare or change a major or concentration, but have not yet done so, you should consult your academic advisor immediately.  Do not register for classes toward the new major/concentration until the update to your official degree on records is reflected in Banner.

Assumptions About Financial Aid Awards:

Financial aid awards assume that undergraduate students will enroll full-time and graduate students will enroll half-time in eligible coursework during Fall and Spring terms. Any enrollment level different than those assumed can create a recalculation of federal financial aid awards each semester. However, in some cases, a student can enroll in less than the assumed hours listed above and still receive a portion of their financial aid.

 When awarding financial aid, NMSU is required to calculate the cost of attendance (COA) each semester and for all terms of enrollment. Students will not be awarded beyond their cost of attendance (COA) for each term, or for the academic year. Changes to a student’s COA may result in a change to financial aid awards, since total aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance.

Keep Your Eligibility:

Remember that dropping or not attending your courses can negatively impact your eligibility for current and/or future aid.

It is important that you discuss your Course Program of Study with your academic advisor when you enroll each semester. If your degree program is not listed correctly in Banner, work with your academic advisor to make them aware of your request and ensure you complete the Request for a change to your Major/Concentration. Do not register for classes toward the new major/concentration until the update to your official degree on records is reflected in Banner. Do not register for classes toward the new major/concentration until the update to your official degree on records is reflected in Banner.

Contact your academic advisor as soon as possible to discuss options if your federal financial aid has been reduced due to enrollment in courses that did not apply towards outstanding requirements in your Course Program of Study.

Enrollment Level and CPOS:

Financial aid is initially awarded based on the assumption that undergraduate students will enroll full-time and graduate students will enroll half-time in eligible coursework during fall and spring semesters. Students may only receive federal financial aid for outstanding coursework that counts towards their officially declared program of study. State, institutional, and private aid requirements may vary when it comes to CPOS requirements. Please check with the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Services if you have any questions about requirements for your institutional and state funding. If you are receiving private scholarships or aid, check with the agency providing you with the award to ensure you are meeting requirements.

Enrollment Status Types:                   Undergraduate                                   Graduate

Pell Grant Enrollment Intensity for Undergraduate Students

If your federal financial aid has been reduced due to enrollment in coursework that does not apply towards outstanding requirements in your program of study, you should contact your academic advisor to discuss your academic options.

Examples:

• If you are eligible for a Federal Pell Grant and enroll in 12 credits and only 9 of the 12 credits are required towards your officially declared program of study, the Federal Pell Grant will be reduced to 75% award based on 9 credits.
• Federal Direct Loans require 6 hours of enrollment for all student types. If you are enrolled in 6 hours and only 3 of the 6 hours are required for your program of study, you are not eligible to receive a Federal Direct Loan.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a program of study (as defined for financial aid purposes)?

A program of study consists of courses required to complete a specific degree, inclusive of required coursework within the major, concentration, and catalog. The specific courses for a student are identified through a degree evaluation tool “Star Audit”.

What types of Aid are affected by CPOS?

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, institutional, and private aid requirements may not follow CPOS requirements. Please check with the agency to ensure you meet all requirements for funding.

How will students be notified if impacted by CPOS?

Students must work closely with their academic advisor to understand the requirements of their declared major and ensure the classes they register for meet these requirements. Students identified as enrolled in courses impacted by CPOS will be notified via their NMSU email. Note that students will only be notified if CPOS impacts their Federal Financial Aid eligibility.

What about courses that will be substituted and thus become part of a student’s program of study?

The appropriate course substitution paperwork must be completed and approved by all necessary parties prior to the census date of the term for it to be included as eligible coursework for federal financial aid purposes.

How will courses required for a minor or supplemental major be considered?

Unfortunately, classes required for your declared minor and/or declared supplemental major, that are not also part of your major requirements, will not count toward your enrollment intensity. To maintain eligibility for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled in at least 12 credits applicable to your declared major or concentration to receive the full-time Pell Grant and at least 6 credits to qualify for federal student loans. 

How will courses needed for dual majors be treated?

Dual majors should be declared early in your educational pathway at NMSU and must be officially declared and reflected in the degree evaluation prior to the census date of the term to determine if they will be included as eligible coursework for federal financial aid purposes.

What about capstone courses, internships, honors courses, and prerequisite coursework?

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 federal aid determination. No more than a maximum of 30 attempted hours inclusive of remedial / learning support, and prerequisite coursework combined can count for federal financial aid purposes.

For example, an English learning support class may be required before a student can register in ENGL 1101.  As long as a student has not attempted more than 30 credits of pre-requisite coursework, the class may be calculated as eligible for federal aid. 

What about students who are going to change their program of study?

It is essential that your major, or any concentration are officially declared and noted in your student record. If you have been planning to declare or change a major or concentration, but have not yet done so, you should consult your academic advisor immediately.

Courses can only be determined to be eligible based on the officially declared major or concentration as noted in your student record. Changes cannot be made retroactively, and most changes will not be approved once a determination is made that a course is not financial aid eligible.

What if a student has put in a request to change their program of study and it is not yet processed?

There are certain time periods when a student can change their program/major, typically at the end of one term and before the beginning of the next term. If you do not put in a request in accordance with these deadlines, your change to your program of study/major request may not be processed until the following term.

Payment for coursework will be disbursed as described below:

• If federal financial aid is disbursed into a student’s account, only eligible coursework toward the official program of study on record can be considered to determine the enrollment intensity for that semester.

Please note: If you change your program of study after the census date, if aid has already disbursed onto your account it will be eligible to stay in the amount that it originally disbursed as according to the classes you were taking in regard to the degree program you were assigned to at the time of the aid disbursement.

If you decide to request a Federal Direct Loan after the census date and you are not enrolled at least half-time in eligible coursework that applies toward your current program of study, you will not be eligible for the Federal Direct Loan.

Can I change my program of study to receive federal financial aid for a course that does not apply toward my current program of study?

If you need to take courses that are not in your program of study/major, you may not be in the program that best fits your educational goal. Please meet with an Academic Advisor to ensure you are in the correct program of study.

Changing your program of study/major should only be done after a discussion with your advisor and should be done with great caution because it may impact your eligibility for future semesters. You should talk with your advisor to check the impact of your decision on your future financial aid because changing from one program to another may cause you to lose financial aid eligibility by reaching the maximum timeframe for completion of a degree (150% rule).

All major changes should be made after the census date but in advance of registration for the next semester. If a major change is requested after determination that a course is not eligible for financial aid, the change of major will likely not be considered. 

What about graduating seniors in their last semester?

Only courses that are part of the program of study, as documented in the degree evaluation tool Star Audit, 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. State, institutional, and private aid requirements may not follow CPOS requirements. Please check with the agency to determine how the funding can be used.

How does repeating a course impact CPOS?

A course may be part of a student’s program of study but not count toward federal student financial aid eligibility if it exceeds the number of repeat attempts allowed by statute. 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. While a ‘D’ may not be successfully passing to advance a student’s academic program, for federal student financial aid purposes, the 'D' is considered a successful completion of that course.

Can I take a course that isn’t required for my program of study?

Yes, you may take courses that are not required. However, those courses cannot be covered by federal student financial aid. For undergraduate students, twelve credits of degree applicable courses are required for federal financial aid to be disbursed at the full-time rate. Credits 13 and beyond do not necessarily have to be degree applicable.

How does CPoS impact taking elective courses?

Any elective course taken must be a requirement of your program of study. If you see that an elective you were advised to take is not counted in the CPoS process, reach out to your academic advisor.

When is the last day that I can change my course enrollment to meet financial aid requirements?

At the full semester drop/add deadline, your course enrollment will be reviewed at the final time for CPoS financial aid purposes.

How will this affect study abroad?

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

How are scholarships affected?

State, institutional, and private aid requirements may not follow CPOS requirements. Please check with the agency to ensure you meet all requirements for funding.

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 a 67% enrollment intensity amount. 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).

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 (see Enrollment Status Types chart above) in credit hours that apply toward your official 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 (see Enrollment Status Types chart). 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 accepted them and done the required application items. Financial aid will pay for any academic related charges, including the charge for the additional class. However, if the financial aid you receive is not enough to cover all tuition costs, you are responsible for paying the remaining balance.

Some of the classes in which I’m enrolled do not apply toward my program of study. What do I do next?

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.
2. If the semester has already begun and your financial aid does not cover all 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 coursework can be paid for out of pocket, or you can set up a payment plan with the University Accounts Receivable Office.

None of my courses apply toward outstanding requirements in my officially declared program of study, but I still want to take them. What does this mean for me?

You are not eligible for federal financial aid this semester. If eligible, you may utilize any scholarships toward your balance owed. State, institutional, and private aid requirements may not follow CPOS requirements. Please check with the agency to ensure you meet all requirements for funding. NMSU also requires a payment plan option 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 toward completion of degree requirements. A failure to do so, even in terms where financial aid is not used to pay for coursework, could result in financial aid suspension.