Financial Aid Notice

Registration for Spring 2018 will be opening on October 30, 2017. Federal Title IV financial aid eligibility is based upon a student’s registration in courses required for their degree (aka, degree-applicable courses). As such, it will be imperative that you plan your registration in accordance with the degree requirements of your program of study (major, concentration, minor). Federal Title IV aid includes the Federal Direct Loan, Federal PLUS Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), and Federal Work-Study.

Although a student can take courses that are non-degree-applicable, only degree-applicable courses will be used in determining a student’s enrollment for each respective Title IV financial aid program. For instance, to be eligible for federal loans, SEOG and Work-Study, a student must be enrolled at least half time, which is defined as 6 credits per semester. If the student enrolls in 9 credit hours of which 6 credits are degree-applicable while 3 credits are not degree-applicable, the student would be eligible for the federal loans. However, if the student enrolls in 6 credits of which 3 credits are degree-applicable while 3 credits are not degree-applicable, the student would not be eligible for federal loans, even though the student is enrolled half time.

Federal Pell Grants are similar, but are a bit more specific. For instance, to be eligible for a full-time Federal Pell Grant award, a student must enroll in 12 credits for the semester. If the Pell-eligible student were to enroll in 12 credits for the semester but only 9 credits were degree-applicable, the student would not be eligible for the full-time award. However, the student would be eligible for the three-quarter time Pell Grant award.

As you register for courses, you will want to review whether the courses are degree-applicable. You can check this by running a Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) report and ensuring that the courses display in the degree-applicable area of the audit. If a course (or courses) appear in the "Courses Unused toward Degree Requirements" section, these course(s) will not be used in determining your Federal Title IV financial aid eligibility*. For more information on running a DARS report, please visit the Office of the Registrar’s website at: http://a4m3.wmsyq.com/registrar/graduation/degree-audit.php. You will also want to make sure that your academic record reflects the correct program of study (major, minor, concentration) that you are pursuing. For specific questions regarding your degree requirements, please contact your academic advisor.

Please remember that these requirements are for determining eligibility for Federal Title IV loans, grants, and work-study only. For additional information on financial aid and degree-applicability, please review the Frequently Asked Questions on the Financial Aid Office’s website at: http://a4m3.wmsyq.com/finaid/resources/faq.php#degree.

* Please note: some pre-requisite coursework may be used in determining financial aid eligibility even if they are listed in the “Courses Not Used” section. Please contact your academic advisor for specific information.