A program of study is the list of courses/credits you must successfully complete in order to be awarded your degree(s). You may also see it referred to as a degree plan. A program of study includes coursework needed for any declared major, concentration, or minor. A course must count in the evaluation of your degree using Degree Works to be counted as part of your program of study.

All types of federal financial aid, such as Pell Grant, TEACH Grant, Federal Work Study, and Direct Loans, will only be paid based on the courses that count towards the student’s degree plan.

State aid (e.g., TEXAS Grant, TPEG, and College Access Loan), as well as private/alternative loans and scholarships, are not subject to the same rules and may be eligible to be paid for courses not included in the degree plan. However, these offers could be reduced if your overall cost of attendance is reduced due to courses not counting for federal aid. Contact One Stop if you have questions about your aid.

Scholarships are not withheld for courses that do not apply to a student’s degree plan. However, students with scholarships who are also receiving federal aid could have their scholarships adjusted due to a reduction in the cost of attendance.

The Cost of Attendance is an estimate of what it could cost for students to attend school. It is based on a student’s enrollment status. Enrollment status for financial aid consideration is based on eligible courses only. If an undergraduate student is enrolled in at least 12 hours that count toward the degree plan, the student will be considered a full-time student for cost of attendance purposes. If a student is not enrolled in full-time hours based on eligible courses, the cost of attendance will be reduced.

For information on enrollment requirements, please visit our Enrollment Requirements webpage.

More information about the Cost of Attendance can be viewed on the Financial Aid website.

Yes, students will be notified if courses on their schedule do not count toward their financial aid eligibility. More details about this process will be provided at a later date.

Your enrollment is compared to the courses listed in your program of study as defined by the Registrar’s Office. An automated degree evaluation process will begin running after the “open registration” period begins and will run through the Census date for each semester. Students should finalize their schedule as early as possible, as financial aid is normally disbursed 10 days before the first day of classes. Any changes to your schedule after the Census date, such as dropping a class, will not impact aid eligibility. More details about this process will be provided at a later date.

Students can always view if their courses are counting toward their degree requirements in Degree Works. Courses in the “Extra Courses” section toward the bottom of the page are not counted toward financial aid eligibility. Undergraduate students who have questions about the courses included in their program of study should contact their Academic Advisor. Graduate students should contact the departmental advisor/coordinator for their program. Students are encouraged to meet with their advisor prior to registration each semester to make sure the courses they plan to take will count toward their degree requirements.

There is no financial aid appeal process for courses that do not count toward your program of study. However, if your academic department/college has approved a course to apply toward your degree requirements, your advisor will need to update Degree Works to reflect this approval before Census date. This will allow the course to count toward your federal financial aid eligibility. Please allow time for the updates approved by all necessary parties to reflect in the system.

Students’ financial aid offers are calculated based on hours enrolled that count toward the degree plan. More information about the minimum hours needed to qualify for financial aid can be viewed on the One Stop Enrollment Requirements page.

Only courses that are part of the program of study count toward federal financial aid eligibility. Students who are not able to reach full-time enrollment status based on the hours remaining for their degree should contact One Stop to discuss their aid options.

Only courses that count toward a student’s degree are used to determine financial aid eligibility. If a student drops all courses that count toward the degree before the Census date and remains enrolled only in courses that do not count toward the degree, this will result in financial aid being canceled and may result in the student needing to repay all or a portion of the financial aid disbursed to them.

Dropping required courses after the Census date would not impact a student’s financial aid for that semester.

If a student did not earn a passing grade for a course (e.g., grades of F, W, or NC), they may retake it in an attempt to earn credit for the course. The hours for a retake will be included in the calculation for financial aid eligibility.

Undergraduate students with an Exploratory/Undeclared program of study may only include courses that count toward the Core Curriculum toward their financial aid eligibility requirements. Exploratory students should seek to declare their major as early as possible to avoid impacts to their financial aid.

Students in an “Academic Studies” major will have their courses evaluated based on how they would apply toward their intended major. More information about Academic Studies can be found on this page.

Only the declared program of study (major, minor, and concentration) for the given semester will be used when evaluating courses for financial aid eligibility. Courses only counting toward majors, minors, or concentrations declared for a future term will not count for financial aid.

Changes to a student’s declared program of study should be made as early as possible to avoid impacts to financial aid, but they should be submitted no later than 5 business days before the Census date of the semester. Requests to modify a student’s program of study that are submitted after this date might not be processed before the final financial aid checks are run on Census date. Important dates, including the Census date, can be viewed in the academic calendar for the given term.

Courses required for a double major are eligible for financial aid. Double majors must be officially declared by the Census date for a term in order for the courses to count. Courses taken toward an undeclared second major will not count in the financial aid evaluation process.

If a minor is required for your degree program, the courses counting toward the minor are eligible to count toward financial aid.

If you are pursuing an optional minor, the minor coursework would also need to count toward your general degree requirements (Core, Major, Support Work, or required free elective hours) to be eligible for financial aid.

Minors must be officially declared by the Census date for a term in order for the courses to count. Courses taken toward an undeclared minor will not count in the financial aid evaluation process.

Courses only counting toward a certificate do not count toward financial aid eligibility hours. Courses needed for the certificate may count toward financial aid eligibility if they also apply to a student’s degree requirements, including any free elective hours needed.

Free elective hours required by a student’s program to meet minimum degree hours will count toward their financial aid eligibility. An elective course will only count toward financial aid eligibility if additional free elective hours are still needed for a student’s program. Students should be mindful to not exceed the allowed number of free elective hours specified in their degree plan. Some bachelor’s degrees may require a certain number of upper-division free elective hours as well. Undergraduate students that have questions about the number of free elective hours required in their degree plan should contact their academic advisor. Graduate students should contact the departmental advisor/coordinator for their program.

If a course must be taken as a prerequisite before taking a required course in a student’s degree plan, the prerequisite course could be approved for financial aid purposes. For instance, if a student’s degree plan requires Calculus I (MAT 1213) but they must complete Precalculus (MAT 1093) in order to satisfy the Calculus I prerequisite, the student’s Precalculus course can be included in their financial aid hours. If the Precalculus course does not apply toward the student’s degree requirements, the student’s academic advisor may need to verify that it must be completed as a prerequisite in order for it to count toward financial aid eligibility.

A student may only have a maximum of 30 hours of prerequisite and/or remedial coursework approved to count toward their financial aid eligibility.

These courses can only be counted toward financial aid eligibility if they count toward your program of study. If they are “extra” courses that are not part of your current program of study, then they are not eligible.

As long as you remain enrolled full-time in courses that apply toward your degree, you will be offered full-time financial aid.