Eligible coursework

 

Courses must be required for degree:

• Eligibility for federal grants (Pell, SEOG, TEACH), Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized and Parent (PLUS) Loans, Federal Work-Study and associated state aid (OTAG, Oklahoma's Promise) is based on the number of hours of enrollment in coursework required for the degree.

• Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized and Parent (PLUS) Loans require enrollment in a minimum of 6 hours required for the degree.

• Pell Grant eligibility is pro-rated based on the number of enrolled hours required for the degree.

• You can review your coursework on the University-wide degree audit system, Degree Works. Degree Works can be found on your student portal. 

Academic minor:

• Coursework required only for an academic minor cannot be counted in the total hours of enrollment when determining federal aid eligibility (grants, loans, Federal Work-Study).

Second major and second degree:

• Students who have completed all degree requirements for one of their declared majors/degrees will no longer qualify for Pell Grant, SEOG, OTAG or Oklahoma's Promise, whether or not they have actually graduated.

• In some cases, students may qualify for federal loans or Federal Work-Study for coursework required to complete the second major or degree.

 Certificate Programs:

• Only certain undergraduate and graduate certificate programs are eligible for financial aid. Check out the list of programs and determine if your certificate is listed. 

Repeat coursework:

• The repeat coursework rules for financial aid eligibility differ from the Registrar's academic regulations found in the OSU Catalog.

• Students CAN receive financial aid for repeated courses (as long as they are required for the degree, IF:

  • They have already passed the course with a "D" or better and they are repeating the course for the first time; OR,

  • They have taken the course and failed it; OR,

  • They have taken the course and withdrawn from it.

• Students CANNOT receive federal aid for repeated courses (even if they are required for their degree), IF:

  • They have already passed the course two times with a "D" or better and they are repeating the course again; OR,

  • They have already passed the course with a "D" or better and then repeat the course and earn an "F."

• Repeat coursework rules do not apply to courses in which students are expected to enroll on a continuing basis, such as some music courses.

NOC and TCC coursework as an OSU student:

• Eligibility for federal grants (Pell, SEOG, TEACH), Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized and Parent (PLUS) Loans, Federal Work-Study and associated state aid (OTAG, Oklahoma's Promise) is based on the number of hours of enrollment (OSU, TCC and/or NOC) in coursework required for the degree.

• Students must contact their academic advisors each semester to request that the advisors input information into the Banner Student System to indicate whether the NOC or TCC course(s) is required for the degree.

Undeclared major:

• Students who are admitted into a degree program (i.e., not admitted as a "special" or "non-degree" student) but who have not yet declared a major can receive federal aid for courses taken as long as the coursework counts toward their degree.

First bachelor's degree:

• Pell Grant, SEOG, OTAG and Oklahoma's Promise eligibility ends when the first bachelor's degree requirements are completed, whether or not the student chooses to graduate at that time.

Subsequent bachelor's degree:

• Students can still receive Direct Subsidized /Unsubsidized and Parent (PLUS) Loans based on the number of hours of enrollment in coursework required for their second bachelor's degree.

• Pell Grant, SEOG, OTAG and Oklahoma's Promise eligibility does not extend to work on a subsequent bachelor's degree.

Remedial coursework:

• Students who are admitted into a degree program and are taking remedial coursework can receive federal aid for the remedial hours, up to a limit.

• The limit on remedial coursework for federal aid purposes is 30 semester hours.

Strategies to maximize aid eligibility:

• Enroll in 12 hours that are required for the degree each semester and then add other classes needed for a minor.

• Plan in advance as much as possible your work towards completing a minor so courses required only for a minor can be spread out over a number of semesters and minimize the impact on your financial aid. 

• Be sure enrollment in the last semester prior to completing degree requirements includes at least six hours required for the degree to ensure eligibility for student/parent loans.