Pace students near Alumni Hall on the Pace Westchester campus
Financial Aid

Course Program of Study (CPOS)

What is the Course Program of Study (CPOS) requirement?

The U.S. Department of Education requires institutions to ensure that federal Title IV funds and state aid are used only for courses that apply to a student's degree program. Course Program of Study (CPOS) is a tool that helps institutions comply with this regulation by tracking the courses a student is registered for to ensure they count toward their degree program.

The goal of this goes beyond financial aid—it's about ensuring that students are enrolled in the right courses needed to graduate on time. By aligning course registration with degree requirements, we aim to help students make progress toward completing their degrees. Timely degree completion can reduce student costs, including financial aid loan debt.

CPOS includes all courses required to earn your degree, including general education, university-specific requirements, major courses, and electives for every degree, certificate, or other recognized credentials.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Federal and state financial aid is based on the number of credits that count toward degree requirements. If a student is registered in courses that do not satisfy any degree requirements, these courses will not be covered by Federal or state financial aid. Undergraduate students must be registered for at least 12 credit hours within their degree program requirements to qualify for a full financial aid package.

    Learn more about enrollment statuses based on student level and credit hours.

  • Types of aid that may be impacted include:

    • Federal aid
      • Direct Loans (Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and PLUS)
      • Pell Grants
      • Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
      • Federal Work Study
    • New York State Aid
      • Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)
      • New York State Aid for Part-Time Study (APTS)
      • Enhanced Tuition Award Program

    While some scholarships and institutional grants require full-time enrollment, institutional aid is not subject to CPOS rules.

    If a student still possesses merit eligibility, their merit scholarship may be prorated based on the number of credits they are enrolled in.

  • Students should ensure their major, minors, concentrations, and/or certificates are declared and reflected on their student record before the first day of classes. You can check your declared program of study on your Student Profile by logging into the Pace Portal.

    Students can complete the Change of Major/Minor form found on the Pace University Registrar forms website. Additionally, it is important to follow the recommended degree plan from your advisor or in the advising system.

    Course substitutions and waivers should be submitted as soon as possible to ensure courses are counted correctly. They must be entered in the system no later than the Census date for the term to count for that term.

  • For programs available in Degree Works, running a degree audit for the student will help determine whether a course satisfies a degree requirement.

    For programs not using Degree Works, compare the student's in-progress coursework and completed course history with their degree requirements.

  • Determine if the course should count in the student's degree.

    If the course will not count towards any degree requirement, refer the student to the CPOS website and inform them that Financial Aid will not pay for it.

    Students should replace a course that does not count towards a degree requirement with one that does fall within their degree requirements. Students should work with their advisor to ensure they take courses satisfying degree requirements.

  • Minors must either be required for the degree or fulfill an elective to be considered eligible coursework for federal financial aid. Furthermore, minor coursework can also be taken in addition to full-time (12 credits) enrollment in a student's program of study.

    A minor by itself is not a separate degree, certificate, or other recognized educational credential and is therefore not a Title IV-eligible program. The declared minor must be the requirement of a larger eligible program for it to be eligible for federal financial aid.

  • Courses taken for a dual degree, or a second major are considered degree pursuant. Students may combine requirements for both, each semester; however, once you complete the requirements for your first degree, you will have earned that degree and will no longer be eligible for Title IV federal grants. At that point, you will need to be classified as a second bachelor's degree-seeker and will only qualify for federal loans. To continue to receive Title IV federal grants and state financial aid, you must complete the remaining requirements for both degrees or majors in the same semester.

  • Only courses that are part of a student's degree requirements are eligible for Federal and state aid.

    Registering for additional classes beyond what is required to complete their degree will not make the student eligible for Federal or state aid.

  • While the student may not have financial aid implications, completing their degree requirements on time can help ensure they are graduating on time and without additional costs associated with taking courses.