Aid-Eligible Coursework

Policy Overview

Effective Fall 2023

The U.S. Department of Education requires institutions to ensure that federal financial aid funds are only used to pay for courses that apply to a student’s degree program, and those courses must add up to reflect at least half-time enrollment (4 credits or more) for a student to be eligible for federal aid.

This means that beginning with the 2023 fall quarter, you must be enrolled in at least 4 credits that count toward your degree program to receive federal aid.

Types of Aid Affected

All types of federal and state financial aid are impacted by this policy. For graduate and law students, this includes: 

• Direct Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS loans,
• work-study,
• the TEACH Grant, and
• the Colorado Graduate Grant.

Institutional aid (including scholarships, assistantships and fellowships) is not impacted by the aid-eligible coursework policy.

Eligible Coursework and Financial Aid Enrollment Status

Your financial aid enrollment status may be different from your total enrollment status. Your financial aid enrollment status will reflect the number of credits that count toward your degree program. For example, if you’re enrolled in a total of 8 credits, but a 4-credit class doesn’t count toward your degree program, your financial aid enrollment status would be 4 credits (which is considered half time). In this case, you’d still be eligible to receive most types of federal aid because you only need to be enrolled in at least 4 credits that count toward your degree. So, even if you’re enrolled in a class that doesn’t count toward your degree, you may still be eligible for federal loans and work-study.

Enrollment Status by Credits

Course Load	Financial Aid Enrollment Status
8 credits or more	Full time
4-7 credits	Half time
0-3 credits	Less than half time

Enrollment Examples

Total Enrollment	Credits that Don't Count Toward Degree	Credits that Do Count Toward Degree	Financial Aid Enrollment Status	Eligible for Federal and State Aid?
15 credits	6	9	Full time	Yes
10 credits	4	6	Half time	Yes*
6 credits	3	3	Less than half time	No*

*The TEACH grant works a little differently. To receive the full amount of TEACH grant funding, you must be enrolled at least full time (8 credits or more). If you're enrolled in less than 8 credits that count toward your degree, the TEACH grant is reduced. Some students may still be eligible for a portion of their TEACH grant if enrolled less than half time.
 

Review your Current Course Schedule

There are two ways to determine which of your courses count toward your degree and therefore count toward your financial aid enrollment status:

• Use the Registrar's Degree Audit tool, which will display a summary of your courses and degree requirements. Courses that do not count toward your degree will be listed under the "courses not required for declared program" section.
• View your current registration on your Aid-Eligible Coursework Audit page in MyDU. This page will indicate whether your registered classes count toward your degree and are eligible for aid. If the total credit hours for courses that say "Yes" in the "Count for Aid" column add up to 4 or more, you'll be eligible to receive your federal aid for that term.

 
Notifications and Adjustments

Students whose aid eligibility is impacted by the aid-eligible coursework policy will be notified after class registration via their DU student email. If you’re no longer eligible for federal or state aid, your financial aid will not disburse for that term.

Contact Information

If you have any questions about your courses and if they count toward your degree program, you should contact your academic or program advisor. For questions about your financial aid, please contact us at finaid@du.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How can I find out which courses count in my degree program?

  You can view which courses count by logging in to the Degree Audit system. Courses that do not count toward your degree will be listed under the "courses not required for declared program" section.

• I don't receive any federal financial aid. Does this policy pertain to me?

  No. The aid-eligible coursework policy only applies to students who are receiving federal and state aid.

• How will I know if my financial aid is affected because of the aid-eligible coursework policy?

  About a week or so after registration for a term begins, we'll begin sending emails to students whose aid will be affected due to this policy. You'll be notified if:

  • you have applied for financial aid by submitting the FAFSA, and 
  • your financial aid enrollment is less than half time (see above for more information on financial aid enrollment).
     

  This means you may not be notified if a course doesn't count toward your degree program. You'll only be notified if the number of credits that count toward your degree is less than 4.

• How will this affect my cost of attendance?

  Your cost of attendance will not be adjusted if the number of credits that count toward your degree is less than your total enrollment.

  Example:
  When you apply for aid, you're assigned a cost of attendance (COA), which is based on the average enrollment of students in your program. If, for example, the COA listed on your financial aid offer assumes you'll be enrolled in 8 credits per term, but only 4 credits count toward your degree program when you register for fall classes, your COA will not be adjusted to reflect only 4 credits of enrollment. The tuition component of your cost of attendance will still be based on 8 credits, and since 4 credits count toward your degree program, you'll still be eligible to receive your federal aid.

• How will elective courses affect my eligibility for aid?

  If your degree program allows for electives, and you have available credits remaining in your elective section, adding electives will not impact your eligibility for aid. However, if you have satisfied all of your elective credits, those additional elective courses will not count toward your financial aid enrollment status.

• What if I want to take a course that isn't required for my degree?

  You can still take courses that aren't required for your degree, but they won't be calculated into your financial aid enrollment status. As long as you're enrolled in at least 4 credits that count toward your degree, you'll be eligible to receive federal and state aid, even if you decide to take other electives.

• How will courses needed for concentrations be treated?

  If your concentration has been officially declared and is reflected in your Degree Audit, then courses needed for your concentration will be considered aid-eligible.

• What about capstone courses, internships, practicums, etc.?

  These courses will be considered aid-eligible if they are required for your degree program.

• How will this affect study abroad?

  Study abroad courses may be considered aid-eligible if they apply towards outstanding coursework in your officially declared degree program.

• What happens if I change my degree program for a future term?

  Financial aid is not retroactively adjusted for prior terms. You may change degree programs as needed for future terms—this process only looks at the program you are currently in for that term.

• What if a course doesn't count toward my degree program but I think it should?

  If you believe a course should count toward your degree program but isn't, please contact your academic or program advisor to learn more.

• I'm not enrolled in at least 4 credits that count toward my degree. What types of financial aid am I eligible to receive?

  If your financial aid enrollment status is less than half time (1-3 credits), you aren't eligible to receive any federal aid, including federal loans.

  Institutional scholarships and grants are not affected by this policy, so you may still be eligible to receive that type of aid. However, most types of institutional aid have their own enrollment requirements; contact your scholarship provider for more information.

  DU offers payment plans that will split your bill into monthly installments. Learn more on the Office of Student Billing website.

  If you have no other means to pay your bill, you may consider a private education loan. These loans are available from a wide variety of financial institutions, and some may offer interest rates and terms that are competitive with those of federal loans. However, private loans typically do not offer the same range of repayment plans or forgiveness options. Learn more about private loans and find a historical list of lenders who have issued loans to DU students on our website.