Course Program of Study (CPoS)

Because federal financial aid eligibility is based on the number of REQUIRED hours you take each semester, you should include a balanced number of required hours (GER, major, teacher licensure, and required general electives) in each semester’s schedule.

While it is important to take enough required hours to make adequate progress toward the degree, taking too many required hours early in the degree program may leave you needing too few required hours to qualify for federal aid later in your degree program. Work with your academic advisor(s) to ensure that you are making adequate progress toward your degree while still leaving enough required hours for your last few semesters.

• Half-time = 6-8 hours
• ¾-time = 9-11 hours
• Full-time = 12 or more hours

• Understand your financial aid so you will know if you receive federal or TN state financial aid. Your Financial Aid Offer lists the types and amounts of aid you receive.
• Understand the academic requirements for your degree program. General Education Requirements are described in the Catalog.
• Check your online transcript in Self-Service to ensure that your major(s) (and, if applicable, concentrations and licensure areas) are listed correctly. If changes need to be made, contact the Registrar’s Office.
• Meet with your academic advisor(s) each semester to be sure you are completing GER courses, major, and teacher licensure (if applicable) courses at a balanced rate. Guidance from your advisor(s) is an important component of your academic progress, but you are ultimately responsible for understanding your financial aid and the academic requirements for your degree.
• During the fall semester of your junior year (four semesters prior to your anticipated graduation date; ex. Fall 2021 for a May 2023 graduate), read carefully the “junior check” email from the registrar. The junior check worksheet will provide an overview of your remaining degree requirements.

While you should most definitely inquire about the impact that enrolling in fewer than twelve required hours will have on your financial aid eligibility, talk with your Student Financial Services Counselor before assuming that it would present a problem. Students for whom federal student loans are the only form of financial aid might not be adversely affected by taking only half-time or ¾-time required hours, but the impact could be more significant for students who receive several forms of federal and/or state financial aid (loans, grants, etc.). The Student Financial Services staff have the expertise to talk with you about your financial aid eligibility.

Sometimes. If general elective hours are required for your degree program (i.e. necessary to obtain your required number of hours for graduation), they will count as required hours for federal financial aid eligibility. In most instances, students must earn a total of 128 hours to graduate. Students who have completed developmental studies courses, transfer students who transferred in having completed large numbers of elective hours, and students with multiple majors may need more than 128 hours for graduation.

General elective hours that are not required for the degree (hours above 128 or the student’s required number of hours for graduation) do not count as required hours for federal and/or TN state financial aid eligibility.

Not necessarily. Milligan students are encouraged to take general elective hours in a variety of disciplines. The key is to schedule your required hours in a way that distributes them throughout your semesters of enrollment.

Once you enroll in enough credits to meet federal financial aid requirements (six hours for half-time eligibility, nine hours for ¾-time eligibility, or 12 hours for full-time eligibility) the remainder of that semester’s hours can consist of non-required general electives.

Students who entered Milligan with large amounts of dual enrollment, AP, or transfer credit may need to give particular attention to the distribution of required hours each semester.

Generally speaking, the more hours that are required for your degree, the less likely you are to have a semester when you run short on hours that are considered required hours for federal financial aid eligibility. If you would like to add a major that you will be able to complete by the time you graduate, feel free to do so.

Adding majors that you will NOT be able to complete by the time you graduate is not an acceptable solution. Because the Registrar’s Office staff monitor students’ progress toward their degrees, any majors that you will not have time to complete will be removed from your record. This means that those hours will not be considered required hours for financial aid eligibility.

Yes, if your advisor has notified one of the registrars of the substitution.

Yes, Course Program of Study requirements will apply to state financial aid.

To qualify for federal student loans, undergraduate students must be enrolled at least half-time (a minimum of six required hours). As with any financial aid eligibility, your total financial aid may not exceed your cost of attendance. While there is no automatic pro-rating of the student loan award for students who are enrolled in half-time or ¾-time required hours, your cost of attendance is based on your number of required hours each semester. Consequently, if you are enrolled half-time or ¾-time, the amount of funds for which you are eligible might be reduced to avoid an over-award. Consult with the Student Financial Services staff about possible effects on your financial aid.

Award amounts for federal grants differ based on your enrollment status. Contact your Student Financial Services Counselor to determine how enrolling in fewer than 12 required hours would affect your Federal Pell Grant.

Study abroad courses will count as required hours for federal and/or TN state financial aid eligibility if they are needed for a student’s degree program (major or required general electives).

If you earned a grade of “F” in the first taking of the course, you may re-take the course as many times as necessary to earn a passing grade. The repeat hours will count as required hours for financial aid eligibility.

If you earned a grade of “D” or higher in the first taking of the course, you may repeat the course one time and have the hours count as required hours for financial aid eligibility. Hours from any subsequent re-takes of the course will not count as required hours. Even if a “D” is not considered a passing grade for progression in your major, the federal REPEAT rule considers “D” a passing grade.

If you repeat a course previously passed with a grade of “D” or higher and earn an “F” in the second taking, any future re-takes will not count toward financial aid eligibility.

Grades of “W” do not apply to the REPEAT rule. If you withdraw from a course the first time you take it, re-enrolling in that course is not considered a repeat. Similarly, if you withdraw from a re-take of a course, that re-take will not count as your one allowable repeat for federal financial aid eligibility.