Course Program of Study (CPoS)
The U.S. Department of Education requires that an institution award federal financial aid, also known as Title IV funding, only for courses applicable to the student’s declared program of study. This is aid students apply for through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
At Pima Community College (PCC), we use the Course Program of Study (CPoS) process to identify courses that apply to a student’s PCC declared program of study. There are many benefits to CPoS including ensuring that students have the correct information to make informed decisions about the courses, graduation timeline, and associated costs. Students may review course applicability to the declared program of study through their MyDegreePlan (MDP). MDP is a tool available to students that outlines required courses for a student’s declared program of study and is available in the Academics section of MyPima. We recommend that students contact a program advisor if they have questions about the information in MDP.
CPoS Process
CPoS runs automatically on a daily basis throughout most of the semester. The Title IV funding made available through the FAFSA's eligibility is adjusted based on the information provided in this process up until the established Pell Recalculation Date (PRD) for each semester. After PRD, financial aid eligible credits do not change unless there is a special circumstance that warrants a manual override. Manual adjustments and overrides are applied on a case-by-case basis.
Course applicability may affect financial aid eligibility throughout the semester as students change classes, drop, withdraw, and grades post.
The CPoS schedule is as follows:
- Fall 2023: 7/12/2023-11/15/2023
- Spring 2024: 11/16/2023-4/20/2024
- Summer 2024: 4/22/2024-7/10/2024
Types of Aid Affected
All Title IV and AZ State Grant aid is affected by the CPoS process, including:
- Federal Pell Grant
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
- Federal Direct Loans
- Federal Work Study
- AZ Leap State Grant
CPoS does not apply to scholarships or other types of funding; however, scholarships have specific requirements that must be met for eligibility. Review the details of your scholarship for specific eligibility criteria.
Notification
A course applicability letter will be sent to the student’s PCC student email account if there is at least one class that does not apply to the student’s program of study. The letter is sent the business day after the CPoS runs and outlines which courses count and which do not count. Thereafter, an updated letter will be sent upon program and registration changes.
There are instances when a course requires a manual override in the system. A Financial Aid Message will be posted since manual overrides do not generate an updated course applicability letter. The Financial Aid Messages are located on MyPima's Financial Aid and Scholarships page.
Program and Schedule Changes
Course applicability will be reassessed after a program or schedule change. Contact the program advisor for the program requirements and review the Program of Study page regarding the process and deadlines.
Types Of Courses
A student can register for non-applicable courses; however, the courses will not be used in the financial aid enrollment and aid packaging for the semester. Students should be prepared to pay for non-applicable courses using other funding sources.
While the non-applicable courses will not be factored into the financial aid enrollment and aid packaging, successful and unsuccessful completion of the classes may affect Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) since the courses are part of a student’s academic history.
Eligible remedial and ESL courses will be used to determine a student's financial aid enrollment for students earning a Title IV-eligible degree. The Eligible Programs & Courses page has additional information regarding eligibility and limits for remedial and ESL courses.
As long as a student is meeting all aid eligibility requirements, the repeat of a non-passed course will count in the financial aid enrollment.
Also, one repeat of a previously passed course with “D” grade will count in the financial aid enrollment. Subsequent attempts will not count in the student’s financial aid enrollment thereafter even if the course is unsuccessfully completed.
Approved course substitutions will count in the financial aid enrollment. Approved course substitutions appear on the student’s MyDegreePlan worksheet once processed.
MyDegreePlan shows the transferred courses and how those courses apply to the program of study. Courses transferred within the semester may affect course applicability.
Students enrolled at PCC and Catholic University of America (CUA) will receive a course applicability letter if a course does not apply to their PCC degree. CPoS runs on only PCC courses and not CUA courses, therefore the letter will only show the PCC courses.
Contact
If you receive a notification that your course does not apply, you may contact our CPoS advisors at CPOS-PCC@pima.edu for program related assistance, and our financial aid advisors at FAHelp@pima.edu for financial aid related assistance.