course-program-of-study

CPoS - Course Program of Study

Beginning Summer 2025 Semester

CPoS is a tool used to ensure students are enrolled in the correct courses needed to graduate and that those courses are eligible to receive federal financial aid funding. The U.S. Department of Education has required that institutions ensure financial aid funds are used to pay for courses that apply to a student's degree program.

The goal of CPoS is to help students understand their pathway to graduating and avoid taking classes that are not needed for their degree program. This is an automated process that will take place each term. Academic Advising and Financial Aid offices are here to help you understand the process and answer any questions you may have.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CPoS?

Course Program of Study (CPoS) is the process that is run to identify courses within a student’s program of study. Courses that do not apply towards a student’s program of study will be ineligible for federal financial aid.

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) regulations require students enroll in coursework that is required for their degree-seeking program to receive federal financial aid (Grants, Loans, FSEOG, Work Study).

U.S. Department of Education funds will only be disbursed for those courses needed to fulfill the program of study requirements. Students enrolling in courses that are not required to complete their degree could see their federal financial aid prorated or be ineligible for aid sources based upon enrollment as requirements.

When will this process start?

Summer 2025 semester.

What types of Aid are affected by CPoS?

CPoS affects eligibility for federal funding. This primarily includes Pell Grant and Federal Direct Student Loan funding, however, can also include other Federal Aid if eligible (including but not limited to Federal Work Study, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant and TEACH Grant).

Will CPoS affect my HOPE or Zell Miller Scholarship eligibility?

No. HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships are State of Georgia funding sources. CPoS only applies to Federal Financial Aid.

How will a student know if they are registered for courses that do not apply to their degree?

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 via �� email.

How often will a student’s enrollment be reviewed?

A student’s course registration will begin being reviewed one week after registration opens. We will continue to review their courses if they add or drop any classes.

Once enrollment has been “frozen” at the end of drop/add, a student’s registration will be reviewed one final time. The only time this would be reviewed again is if a student adds or drops a course for 2nd session.

What if a student needs to change their major for the courses to apply correctly to their degree program?
We highly encourage continuing students to officially submit their major change by the below priority deadlines. At the very least, all curriculum changes should be completed prior to the first day of classes.

Fall – July 1

Spring – December 1

Summer – April 1

Can a student take classes that are not required for his or her major?

Students receiving federal financial aid are welcome to take classes which are not required for their Program of Study. However, they will need to pay for those classes out-of-pocket or with non-federal financial aid.

How will CPoS impact elective courses?

Electives must satisfy a requirement of your declared major. If you have been notified that an elective is not counting toward your Federal Financial Aid eligibility, contact your academic advisor.

Are scholarships impacted by CPoS?

No, scholarships are not federal aid and therefore are not affected.

Where can students find their major?

All students can find their major in their DegreeWorks.

What should I do if I've been notified that one or more of my courses doesn't count in my program of study (declared major)?

Review Degreeworks first, then contact your Academic Advisor. An advisor will be able to review your registration and determine whether the system is accurately assessing your enrollment.

What about Graduating students in their last semester?

Only courses that are part of the program of study as documented in the degree evaluation tool (DegreeWorks) 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.

How will this affect Satisfactory Academic Progress (GPR, Deficit Hours, and Excessive Hours)?

Satisfactory Academic Progress is based on total hours taken and not federal aid eligible hours taken. All hours will continue to count towards this as noted at Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for Financial Aid Recipients

How will substitutions be handled?

Processing for registered course substitutions received by the Office of the Registrar after the first official day of classes cannot be guaranteed in time for CPoS assessment.

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

What should a student do if they are taking a course that is not counted in their program and they believe it should?

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

I need to take a learning support English, Math, or Reading class and it is not listed as required on my major requirements.

Learning support (classes below the 1000 level: ENGL 0999, MATH 0999, etc.) are eligible for financial aid funding up to a maximum of 30 attempted remedial hours. If the student is otherwise eligible for federal financial aid, the credits for the remedial courses will be considered as in-program and eligible for federal financial aid.

I have been notified that 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). When will I know if the changes “fixed” the problem?

The CPoS automated review process happens once per week. It can only review 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 after one week.

How will courses needed for double majors be treated?

Double majors must be officially declared and reflected in the student’s DegreeWorks. Courses counting toward undeclared majors will not be included in the program of study.

I am in the Corp of Cadet program and am taking Military Science courses. The courses are not on the official plan of study. Will financial aid pay for them?

You must have elective space in your program of study for the MLS class to count. If you do not have elective space, then the MILS class will not count as hours for financial aid purposes.

Who should I contact if I have questions?
Academic Advising – Academic.Advising@ung.edu

Office of Financial Aid - CPOS@ung.edu

Office of the Registrar - Degreeworks@ung.edu

Example Scenarios

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 pays per eligible credit hour up to 12 hours (full time). Your Pell Grant will prorate to 8 credit hour equivalent. You may be eligible to receive Federal Loans because you are enrolled at least half-time status in eligible coursework. If eligible HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarship will pay the amount for 12 hours based upon the HOPE and Zell Miller payment chart.


	Full Time Offer	Eligible FA Hours	Paid Amount
Pell (12 hrs)	$2,000	8	$1,340
HOPE (15 hrs)	$2,798	12	$2,238.36
Loans (6 hrs)	$2,750	8	$2,722
Total FA Offer	$7,548	Total FA Paid	$6,310.36

Note:

PELL pays per credit hour up to 12 eligible hours.
HOPE is not affected by the CPoS requirements – only federal aid.
Direct Federal Loans only require 6 eligible hours to receive. The difference in amount offered and paid is due to the origination fee.

For the upcoming semester, I plan to enroll in 17 hours, which includes a 3 hour class that does not apply toward my degree program. Will financial aid pay for the ineligible 3 hour class?
Financial aid will disburse 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 applied for them. Financial aid will pay for any academic related charges, including the charge for the additional class. However, the financial aid you receive may not be enough to cover all tuition costs, leaving you responsible for paying the remaining balance.

Full Time Offer Eligible FA Hours Paid Amount

Pell (12 hrs) $2,000 14 $2,000

HOPE (15 hrs) $2,798 17 $2,798

Loans (6 hrs) $2,750 14 $2,722

Total FA Offer $7,548 Total FA Paid $7,532

Note:

PELL pays per credit hour up to 12 eligible hours.

HOPE is not affected by the CPoS requirements – only federal aid.

Direct Federal Loans only require 6 eligible hours to receive. The difference in amount offered and paid is due to the origination fee.

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CPoS - Course Program of Study

Beginning Summer 2025 Semester

Frequently Asked Questions

Example Scenarios

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