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Student Financial Aid

Course Program of Study (CPoS)

CPoS was designed and has been found to help students finish their degree program faster by focusing on the completion of coursework tied directly to their program of study. Timely degree completion also reduces student costs, including debt a student may accrue.

If you are enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours within your degree program each semester, you will remain eligible to receive the full financial aid package.

Your Degree Works audit will be the best resource for you to use to determine whether your courses are eligible for aid. A note in your audit will alert you to the courses not eligible:

The highlighted "Course(s) Not Financial Aid Eligible" section of the Degree Works audit shows courses not eligible for aid.

Learn how to access your Degree Works audit.
View CPoS training materials.

Frequently Asked Questions

We recognize the following list of frequently asked questions may not answer every query you have. Please reach out to your academic adviser or the Office of Student Financial Aid with further questions related to CPoS.

  • How can I see if I am enrolled in courses that are not eligible?

    Your Degree Works audit in iROAR will show you the courses you are enrolled in and whether or not they fulfill a requirement for your degree program.

    Four rows of information from the Degree Works audit show how a student’s courses fulfill CPoS requirements. Line 1 – A green check mark. The SC Reach Act Requirement is not required. Three credits were added to required electives. Line 2 – A red circle. Three credits in PRTM 2000 are still needed. Line 3 – A half blue circle. Three credits in general education (arts and humanities non-literature) are being fulfilled by Phil 1010 in Fall 2022. Line 4 – A green check mark. Three credits in general education (English composition) are being fulfilled by Engl 1030 in Fall 2022. This requirement is satisfied by the student’s AP credit for literature and composition.  If you scroll to the bottom of your audit, you will find a legend to help you understand each symbol. You may also hover over a symbol. 

    A symbol legend notes that a green check means “Complete,” a half blue circle means “Complete with classes in progress,” a blue check in a square means “Prerequisite,” (R) means “Repeated class,” a red circle means “Not complete,” an ! in a circle means “Nearly complete – see adviser,” and @ means “Any course number.”

    If you are enrolled in courses that are not eligible for financial aid, you will see an alert at the top of your audit that lists the ineligible courses.

    If you receive federal financial aid, you can also access your eligible and ineligible courses through the Financial Aid portal in iROAR.

  • What happens if I make changes to my schedule?

    If you make a change to your schedule before the last day to drop/add, your Degree Works audit and Financial Aid portal (if applicable) will be updated by the next day.

    (Note: the Degree Works audit refreshes automatically overnight; if you want an immediate update, use the refresh button at the top of the audit, not the top of the web browser.)

    Clemson Degree Works – Worksheets page shows data refreshed 01/27/2022 at 2:14 a.m. The refresh symbol is next to the date.

  • What if I am planning to change my major?

    The courses that you are enrolled in must fulfill the requirements for your current degree program to be eligible for financial aid.

    Students must submit any change of major requests to their department by the first day of class in order for it to be processed for the current term. Departments and Enrolled Student Services have through the last day to add for the term to process the change for it to be effective for the current term.

    If a change of major is processed after the last day to add for the term, the change of major will be effective for the following term. Some colleges may also have additional deadlines and restrictions for students changing their major.

    Please review the Change of Academic Program Guidelines by College for current deadlines and additional information.

  • I am in a pre-major (e.g. pre-business, general engineering) or an undeclared major. How will my major courses count toward my eligibility?

    The courses are eligible for financial aid as long as they fulfill a requirement for your current major in Degree Works.  

    If you have completed all of the required coursework in your pre-major or undeclared major, declare your intended degree-granting major by the appropriate deadline to retain financial aid eligibility.

  • Will my minor count as part of my program of study?

    If a minor is required for your degree program, the courses you take to meet that requirement are eligible for financial aid.

    If you are pursuing an optional minor, you would need to have free electives to cover those courses to be eligible for financial aid.

  • How will courses with repeatable hours affect CPoS and my financial aid?

    A course can be repeated to the university’s allowable limit and count for aid if it satisfies a requirement in Degree Works.

  • If I repeat a course to get a better grade, will it be eligible for aid?
    Visit the Academic Catalog to review repeating course policies.
  • The course I am taking is being substituted for another course in my curriculum. When does the substitution need to be submitted?

    You should submit the course substitution form as soon as you have registered for a course that will need to be substituted for another one.

    Students must submit any course substitution requests to their department by the first day of class in order for it to be processed for the current term. Departments and Enrolled Student Services have through the last day to add for the term to process the substitution for it to be effective for the current term.

    The course substitution will not be processed for aid past the last date to drop without a record.

    Learn more about course substitution policies.

  • When is the last day to make major/minor changes or modify my enrollment to potentially impact CPoS?

    Students must submit any change of major requests to their department by the first day of class in order for it to be processed for the current term. Departments and Enrolled Student Services have through the last day to add for the term to process the change for it to be effective for the current term.

    The last day to drop a class/withdraw from the University without a W grade is the final day to modify your enrollment to impact aid. Financial aid will be finalized based on the student's enrollment in required classes as of the close of this day.

  • How will Bachelor-to-Graduate program courses be counted?

    You should submit the GS6-Bachelor-to-Graduate form as soon as you have registered for a graduate course that will be substituted for an undergraduate course.  

    Graduate courses must fulfill a requirement for your undergraduate degree program to be eligible for aid.

  • Will my South Carolina state scholarships or Clemson scholarships be affected by CPoS?

    At this time, state and Clemson scholarships are not impacted by CPoS, however, all students are encouraged to make timely progress toward their degree.