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Courses in Program of Study (CPoS)

To qualify for federal financial aid at Salt Lake Community College, you must be enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program. Only courses that apply directly toward your degree/program requirements will count when calculating your enrollment status for federal aid, including grants, loans, and Federal Work-Study.

If you register for classes that are not required for your declared degree/program, your financial aid may be reduced or canceled, as mandated by the U.S. Department of Education.

Frequently Asked Questions

CPoS stands for Course Program of Study. This is a process designed to make sure students are taking classes that directly apply to their declared degree or certificate program, as required by the U.S. Department of Education.

To find out if your classes are eligible for federal financial aid, review your DegreeWorks audit. DegreeWorks is a helpful tool that shows which courses are required for your program and which ones you still need to complete. We suggest meeting with your academic advisor to create a personalized plan for staying on track with your degree. Learn more about DegreeWorks.

Start early and get familiar with your DegreeWorks audit to help you make informed enrollment decisions. If you're thinking about changing your classes or switching your program, we recommend connecting with your academic advisor for guidance and support.

When aid is disbursed, accepted funds are applied to your balance and will only be paid towards classes that count in your program. Depending on your award amount, however, you may receive a refund that could help with paying for your other courses.

Example: If you're enrolled in 9 credit hours but only 6 are eligible, your financial aid may still cover the cost of those 6 hours and – depending on the amount awarded – it might also cover the remaining 3 hours, even though they aren’t aid-eligible.

To get a full picture of how your aid is applied, always review your financial aid offers in the financial aid dashboard through MySLCC.

Electives and prerequisites can count if they are required for your specific degree or certificate. DegreeWorks will show this—if it appears as a requirement, it counts.

Contact your academic advisor; they may need to submit a substitution or advise you to replace the course with another.

Financial aid can pay for those courses if they count towards the current declared degree/program. However, please note there are still limitations due to maximum timeframe. Read more about maximum timeframe.

Yes, just know that the course will not count toward your financial aid enrollment status.

No. Only courses that count toward your program at Salt Lake Community College can be counted for student aid.

Salt Lake Community College does not allow double majors. We will pay for one degree at a time and aid may be limited based on your maximum timeframe.

If you are registered for courses that count towards your degree/program before our Pell recalculation date (PRD), they may count in your enrollment. Contact our office for more details.

Our office may need to re-evaluate your financial aid eligibility, depending on when the change occurs. We encourage you to contact the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships prior to making any schedule changes after a semester begins. Schedule changes could affect the amount of aid awarded or disbursed, causing you to owe a balance.