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Federal Financial-Aid Requirement

Course Program of Study

Federal financial aid can generally pay only for courses that count toward your declared Yavapai College degree or certificate.

The requirement

What is Course Program of Study?

Course Program of Study, commonly called CPOS, is a federal requirement used to determine which registered courses can count toward federal financial-aid eligibility.

A course generally counts when it satisfies a requirement in your officially declared associate degree or certificate program.

Yavapai College has applied CPOS requirements since the Fall 2019 semester. The underlying federal requirement existed before YC implemented its automated review process.

Financial-aid impact

Which types of financial aid are affected?

CPOS affects federal financial aid. It does not generally determine eligibility for state, private, or institutional aid.

Federal financial aid

CPOS applies

Federal aid is generally based on FAFSA information and is funded through the U.S. Department of Education.

Examples include:

  • Federal Pell Grant
  • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
  • Federal Direct Subsidized Loans
  • Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans
  • Federal PLUS Loans

State financial aid

CPOS does not apply

State aid may use FAFSA information but is funded through a state program and may require an additional application.

One example is the Arizona Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership program.

Institutional and private aid

CPOS does not apply

Institutional and private awards may consider FAFSA information, academic performance, department criteria, or other eligibility requirements.

Examples include:

  • YC Foundation scholarships
  • Private scholarships
  • Athletic scholarships
  • Departmental scholarships

Review your enrollment

What to do when a course is flagged

Follow these steps before changing your schedule or declared program.

Review Degree Works

Sign in to myYC, open Academics/Students, and select Degree Works. Review how each registered course applies to your declared program.

Contact your academic advisor

Ask an advisor to review your declared program, course requirements, electives, substitutions, and any possible exceptions.

Confirm the financial-aid impact

Contact Financial Aid before adding, dropping, or remaining enrolled in a course that does not count toward federal-aid eligibility.

A flagged course is not automatically an error

The course may truly fall outside your declared program, or your program record may need review. Some substitutions, concurrent programs, and other exceptions may require advisor evaluation.

Timing matters

Make program and enrollment changes early

Program changes are not immediate. Waiting until the registration deadline may prevent updates from being processed before CPOS eligibility is reviewed.

The last day to update your program of study is generally the last day to add full-term classes for that semester.

YC recommends submitting program changes or updates at least 10 business days before the beginning of the term.

Review the Academic Calendar

Additional guidance

Course Program of Study FAQs

These answers address common questions about electives, unrelated courses, program changes, and CPOS processing.

If an academic advisor determines that a course does not satisfy a requirement in your declared degree or certificate, that course will not count toward your federal financial-aid enrollment level.

Consult Academic Advising and Financial Aid before deciding whether to add an eligible course, drop the ineligible course, or remain enrolled and pay for it through another source.

A course that does not satisfy a requirement in your declared degree or certificate will generally be excluded from your federal financial-aid enrollment level.

For example, a student declared in Nursing who enrolls in unrelated Graphic Design courses may have those courses excluded unless they also satisfy a requirement in the student’s official program.

A course may count in more than one concurrent program. Your advisor can confirm how the course applies.

An elective can count when it satisfies an elective requirement in your declared program. An elective that exceeds the number required or does not fit an available program requirement may not count.

Degree Works and your academic advisor can help determine whether a particular elective applies.

Many forms of financial aid have lifetime, annual, or aggregate limits. Taking courses that do not advance your declared program can consume time and other resources even when another source pays for the course.

Once a federal-aid limit has been reached, eligibility is not automatically restored. Speak with Financial Aid about the rules that apply to your award.

The automated CPOS review runs nightly. It can evaluate only information that has been fully processed and appears on your student record.

When an eligible change is present before the applicable deadline, financial aid may update within approximately 24 hours after the overnight CPOS review.

Program-of-study changes require manual processing and do not appear immediately. Continue monitoring your myYC account and contact an advisor when a change has not been reflected.

Meet with an academic advisor to confirm that the proposed program matches your academic goal and registered courses. A program change can affect graduation requirements, financial-aid eligibility, and the amount of time required to complete your credential.

Submit approved changes early enough for manual processing before the applicable registration and census deadlines.

Policies

Review detailed financial-aid requirements

Additional information about financial-aid eligibility, enrollment, satisfactory academic progress, and related requirements is available on the Financial Aid policies page.

View Financial Aid policies