Coursework toward Program of Study (CPoS)

You may not be aware, but there is an important emphasis in federal and state financial aid rules that cause your grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans to be reduced if you enroll in the wrong classes. These rules also apply to MTSU Guaranteed Scholarships.  Only courses required for degree completion can be used to determine your aid eligibility for these programs.

Coursework toward Program of Study (CPoS) include courses in your major, minor, or other degree requirements.  Enrolling in coursework that meets an outstanding degree requirement is known as eligible CPoS coursework.  For those depending upon aid to attend MTSU, not paying attention to this rule could affect the amount of aid you will receive.

Why This is Important

photo of studentTaking courses that are not required to complete your degree could result in you receiving less or no aid and, in some cases, owing money back. 

Courses that are not eligible cannot be counted toward your full-time status for financial aid purposes.


In other words, the undergraduate full-time financial aid cost of attendance (COA) requires you to be enrolled in at least 12 eligible credit hours. For example, if nine of your 12 credit hours are CPoS eligible but three of your credit hours are not, your COA will reflect that you are not a full-time student (only 75 percent) and impact the total amount of aid you can receive.  Remember: We cannot award aid in excess of your specific COA.

Your Checklist
Check PipelineMT to be sure your major and minors are correctly declared.
See your advisor to be sure you're registering for classes that fulfill an outstanding requirement.
Check your Financial Aid Tab in PipelineMT for messages and updates to your financial aid.