Course Program of Study

Choose the Right Courses to Facilitate Your Financial Aid Package

Carefully planning and following your curriculum is essential to graduating on time, but it is also necessary to ensure you receive the financial aid you are expecting along the way. The U.S. Department of Education requires that institutions only distribute federal and state financial aid funds for courses that apply to a student’s specific degree program. Since the summer 2021, Drexel University has used Course Program of Study or "CPoS" to review each student’s schedule after registration and notify them if their course registration may affect their financial aid package. This program compares the student’s term registration to their DegreeWorks worksheet. For more information about DegreeWorks, review our Degree Works guide.

How it works:

• Shortly after registration opens, student enrollment will be reviewed to ensure that students are receiving the maximum aid they are eligible for. This will continue through add/drop.
• CPoS will review for courses that do not meet CPoS criteria (See CPoS criteria below).
• Students will be notified if their aid may be affected. They should review their DegreeWorks to adjust registration as needed.

What it means:

• Aid may be reduced or removed entirely based on student registration if CPoS criteria are not met. Students must be cognizant of how their registration may affect their aid. Changes to aid will occur after add/drop.
• Students are strongly encouraged to review their DegreeWorks if they receive a CPoS notification. Students may discuss their choices and plan ahead with their academic advisor. Students are encouraged to connect with Drexel Central regarding potential financial aid impacts.

CPoS Criteria

In order to maximize your financial aid package, CPoS will check to see if your registration meets the below criteria.

Undergraduate Students

• Full-time students are enrolled in at least 12 credits that fulfill degree requirements of their officially declared major(s) and/or minor(s).
• Part-time students are enrolled in at least 6 credits that fulfill degree requirements of their officially declared major(s) and/or minor(s).
• Honors students should consult with both honors and academic advisors and review the Honors Plan of Study for more information about requirements and academic planning.

Graduate Students

• Students are enrolled in at least 4.5 credits that fulfill degree requirements of their officially declared major.

Accelerated Degree Students (e.g., BS/MS)

• Students classified as undergraduates are enrolled in at least 12 credits that fulfill degree requirements of their officially declared major(s) and/or minor(s) of their bachelor's degree.
• Students classified as graduate students are enrolled in at least 4.5 credits that fulfill degree requirements of their officially declared major of their master's degree.

Certificate Programs

• If in a certificate program that is eligible for federal/state financial aid, students must meet the requirements outlined in Degree Works.

If any of the above rules are not met for students, Drexel Central will notify the student via their Drexel email. It is the responsibility of the student to review these alerts and act upon them quickly, ensuring any adjustments are made before the end of the Add/Drop deadline. Questions about which courses to take should be directed to the student’s academic advisor and questions about financial aid go to Drexel Central. All students should be sure that their Plan in DegreeWorks is up-to-date and has been reviewed by their advisor(s) for accuracy. Students can schedule a one-on-one appointment with either their academic advisors or a Drexel Central representative by navigating to the Student Success Team channel in the DrexelOne portal. Students can also reach out to Drexel Central via AskDrexel.

Financial Aid Impacts

All Title IV Federal Student Aid, including Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Grants (SEOG), Federal Direct Loans, PLUS Loans, and Federal Work Study, may be affected by CPoS. These types of aid will only pay for eligible courses that count towards the student’s program of study. To qualify for full federal and state financial aid, students must meet the above rules each term. Therefore, it is important to think through the plan of study right from the start of a degree program to ensure that there are enough remaining required credits to satisfy the minimum required credits each term through to graduation. Variables that might affect this include AP, IB, or other advanced credits, minors, and courses taken on co-op.

While CPoS directly impacts the amount of federal aid a student may be eligible for, it may also indirectly impact other awards. Examples of other awards could include Drexel merit and need based aid, PhD or Tuition Remission, and/or outside scholarships. These awards could possibly be reduced or eliminated if students do not meet the above rules. This is because a student’s “budget” or Cost of Attendance must match the number of credits that are CPoS eligible. Aid cannot exceed a student’s “budget,” regardless of whether it is state, federal, Drexel, or outside scholarship.

Financial aid is allocated in full to full-time students enrolled in 12 or more credits towards their degree. This chart will illustrate a student’s financial aid eligibility based on the number of credits towards a degree they are currently enrolled in. If a student registers for fewer than the minimum number of credit hours towards degree requirements, federal and state financial aid will be dispersed at a prorated rate based on the number of credits of required courses in the schedule.

Impacts for Undergraduate Students

Please Note: The amount of aid awarded is based on multiple factors, including overall cost of attendance, and grant or loan eligibility as determined by the Department of Education Guidelines.

Impacts for Graduate Students

Please Note: The amount of aid awarded is based on multiple factors, including overall cost of attendance, and grant or loan eligibility as determined by the Department of Education Guidelines.