What is Course Program of Study (CPoS)?
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) regulations require that a student be enrolled in an eligible degree-seeking or certificate-seeking program to receive federal financial aid (grants, loans, Work-Study). To qualify for federal financial aid, the student must be enrolled in courses that are applicable toward the student’s degree or certificate.

If a student is enrolled in courses that are not required to complete his or her eligible degree or certificate, the student’s financial aid award could be prorated or cancelled as required by ED.

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.

When did CPoS become a requirement?
For many years, the U.S. Department of Education has required that institutions ensure federal financial aid funds are used to pay for courses that apply to a student’s degree program. Virginia Commonwealth University will begin actively implementing CPoS in Fall 2027.

When will the CPoS process run?
We will start running the process after registration opens for each term. Registration opens:

• Fall:  March
• Spring:  October
• Summer:  February

Courses are reviewed after registration opens, during add/drop if changes are made, and once more at the end of add/drop when enrollment is frozen for financial aid purposes. A student should always monitor their eServices, DegreeWorks, and VCU email for any alerts related to enrollment being impacted by CPoS.

Once enrollment has been “frozen” for financial aid purposes at the end of add/drop, a student’s registration will be reviewed one final time. Aid will be prorated or canceled if it was previously applied to courses not needed to fulfill the program of study requirements.

The only time this would be reviewed again was if a student adds or drops a short-term session, special session, or minimester impacting federal direct loan, state and institutional eligibility. Enrollment intensity for the Federal Pell Grant, for example, is frozen after add/drop and cannot be recalculated higher due to the addition of a course.

How and when will I know if I am impacted by CPoS?
Students enrolled in courses impacted by CPoS will be notified via their VCU email and through messages posted on their eServices in the Financial Aid tab. Note that students will only be notified if CPoS impacts their Federal Financial Aid eligibility.

What types of financial aid are impacted by CPoS? 
It is important to know that “financial aid” refers to any funding designed to assist with your educational related expenses. Most financial aid flows through the school and is applied directly to your student account.

• Federal Financial Aid:  This 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 but not limited to the Pell Grant, SEOG Grant, Stafford Direct Loans, and PLUS Loans. CPoS does impact these awards.
• State Financial Aid:  This financial aid may also use information included on the FAFSA or Virginia Alternative State Application (VASA). The primary difference is that the source of funding is from the state government. Examples include VGAP and Commonwealth Award. CPoS does impact these awards.
• Institutional Financial Aid:  This financial aid may also use information included on the FAFSA or VASA to determine eligibility. CPoS does not impact these awards. Check with your financial counselor if unsure.

Are scholarships impacted by CPoS?
It depends. VCU merit scholarships awarded by the Office of Admissions do not require that students enroll in courses in their program of study. Department and donor scholarships will be based on the terms of the agreement. Know that using a renewable scholarship for classes that do not count towards a Program of Study means that the student risks exhausting eligibility prior to completing all degree requirements and graduating on-time.

Can a student take classes that are not required for his or her major?
Students receiving 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 that ignores the Program of Study.

How will courses needed for double majors be treated?
Double majors must be officially declared and reflected in the student’s DegreeWorks by the Friday of add/drop. Courses counting towards undeclared majors will not be included in the program of study. NOTE: Requests for major changes and course substitutions are not immediate and require manual updates in the system.

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 financial aid eligibility, contact your academic advisor. If an advisor determines that the elective is satisfying a requirement and will count toward your declared major, they will submit a course substitution request. It is important that you speak with an advisor as soon as possible to allow for processing time.

How will repeated coursework be affected?
There are two separate processes that will affect these courses. The first is the program of study evaluation and the second is the repeated coursework evaluation. The repeated course will count for the program of student evaluation if it is in the program of study as documented by DegreeWorks, regardless of the presence of a previously taken same course. The course would still then need to pass repeated coursework evaluation to be eligible for federal aid. Visit the Repeated courses bulletin for more information.

I need to take a learning support English, Math, or Reading class and it is not listed as required for my major.
Learning support classes (e.g. ENLP coursework) are eligible for financial aid funding up to a maximum of 30 attempted remedial hours. As long as 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.

What about degree candidates in their last semester?
Only courses that are part of the student’s program of study as documented within DegreeWorks are eligible for federal aid. Students receiving financial aid are welcome to take classes that are not required for their program of study, however you will need to pay for those classes out-of-pocket or with non-federal financial aid.

How will substitutions be handled?
We highly encourage the completion of course substitutions for registered courses by the priority deadlines below.  Processing for registered course substitutions received by the OUR 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.

Where can students find their majors?
All students can find their major in their DegreeWorks through eServices.

• Start by logging into eServices
• Click on the DegreeWorks button
• This will take you to the “Student View” of your DegreeWorks worksheet. More information about level, classification, major/minor, concentration/ program, college, academic standing, and registration holds will be present.
• There are three areas on the Degree Works audit page that will display the student’s major information. First, at the very top of the page in the student information box. Secondly, there will be a quick link to the Major block listed at the bottom of the Degree block as one of the “Blocks Included in this block”. Thirdly, going to the Major block in the student audit you can see the major displayed.

Consider using the Student Educational Planner (SEP) tool within DegreeWorks to build a semester-by-semester academic plan of classes leading to graduation, including future semesters.

How do students change their major?
A student may change their major by following the steps below.

• Before initiating a change of major or concentration, carefully review the online requirements and prerequisites table and contact the office administering the program of study. Credits previously earned at VCU or another university may not be applicable to the new program.
• Visit the OUR website
• Submit the Change of Major/Concentration Form

The change becomes official after the OUR has received authorization from the appropriate school dean, department chair, or program head. 

Changes made through the add/drop period will apply toward the current semester. Changes made after the add/drop period are effective for the following fall or spring semester, and changes made during the summer session are effective for the following fall semester.

What should I do if I’ve been notified that one or more of my courses does not count in my program of study (declared major)?
If a student believes a course should count, but it isn’t, they should contact their academic advisor. Do not begin modifying your schedule without consultation with an academic advisor. 

An advisor will be able to review your registration and determine whether the system is accurately assessing your enrollment. If not and your enrollment has been approved, your advisor needs to submit a CPoS override within DegreeWorks. Course overrides will then be communicated to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, where an automated CPoS refresh will occur nightly. Major changes and course substitutions are not immediate and require manual updates in the system. 

What if a student needs to change their major for the courses to apply correctly to their degree program?
Current semester majors must be officially declared and reflected in the student’s DegreeWorks by the Friday of add/drop. Courses counting toward future majors will not count toward the program of study.

We highly encourage continuing students to officially declare their major by the below priority deadlines. At the very least, all curriculum changes should be completed prior to the first day of classes.

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

How will a student know if they are registered for courses that do not apply to their degree?
Students will be notified by the Student Financial Management Center if their financial aid is impacted due to enrollment in classes that do not apply to their degree program. They will be able to see the courses that are not applicable by clicking into the Financial Aid tile within eServices.

How will an advisor know what courses are not counting towards a student’s degree?
The advisor will be able to see this information on DegreeWorks. The area under your personal information will reflect the courses that are ineligible to receive federal financial aid.

When is the last day to modify my enrollment or make major changes to potentially impact CPoS?
Changes to enrollment should be completed by the Friday of add/drop to ensure there are no issues. However, you do have until the last day of add/drop for enrollment changes. Please note that you do risk having enrollment that cannot be evaluated in time. 

We recommend major updates be submitted 7-10 business days before the beginning of the term at the latest. Do not wait until the last minute to submit updates as major program changes are not immediate. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that their major accurately reflects their current enrollment and that any updates are submitted in sufficient time to allow for processing. 

I have been notified that one or more of my courses are not counting towards 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 nightly. 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 within 2-3 business days of the overnight CPoS process.

An advisor has submitted a course substitution request. When will my financial aid be updated to reflect this request?
The override process is completely manual and requires action from multiple departments. Please allow 7-10 business days for your financial aid to reflect the override.

How will this affect Satisfactory Academic Progress (GPA, completion rate, and maximum timeframe to program completion)?
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 in VCU’s SAP policy.