Aid Eligible Courses & Programs

To see if your classes are eligible, check your Degree audit. A degree audit is a great way for you to review your program to see required courses and courses remaining to complete your program! Our Advisors in the Advising Department can also meet with you one-on-one to map out your program plan.

If we determine one or more of your courses is not aid eligible, you will receive an email to your student email account. The notification will clearly identify that there is an issue with aid eligibility for a specific semester.

Start early and be familiar with your Degree audit, so you can make enrollment adjustments. Your program of study is located on top. Generally, courses not counting will show in the “courses not applied” section of your audit. You can also use the “What If” feature to check other degrees or certificates you may be considering. If you are planning on changing your enrollment or program of study, we encourage you to contact your Advisor for assistance. Please allow 24 hours for financial aid eligibility adjustments to be made after any schedule changes.

This is not a trick question…  Accepted aid amounts will be applied to your account balance owed.  Your balance could include tuition for a course that is not eligible.

For example: let’s say you have 9 hours and only 6 are eligible; it’s possible that your accepted amount will cover the tuition for the eligible hours and have enough excess to pay for the 3 hour course that is not eligible.  Always review your offers and your Finances tab within your MyAllen portal to see the whole picture. 

Electives can be eligible, provided they are specified for your program and you still need them. Developmental or remedial courses will be eligible, as required, up to the maximum 30 credit hour limit. 

If the prerequisite is listed as a required course for your program, the course will be eligible.

We would encourage you to contact an Advisor for assistance. We may review your situation for consideration as “preparatory coursework.” Through preparatory coursework, students may be eligible for federal loans while taking required courses within the approved timeframe.

Yes, you can take a course that is not required. Just know that the course will not count toward your financial aid enrollment status.

Your degree audit should properly identify crossover courses, including electives. Even with a double major, to be eligible for federal aid, you must still be enrolled in required courses.

Our office may need to re-evaluate your financial aid file, depending on when the schedule change occurs. We would encourage you to contact an advisor and our office prior to making any schedule changes after a semester begins. Schedule changes could affect the amount awarded or disbursed, causing a student to owe a balance.

If you are eligible for the Pell Grant and are enrolled in 12 credit hours, but only 9 are required for your program, you will receive federal aid for only those 9 eligible hours.
If you are enrolled in 6 credit hours, but only 3 are required for your program, you will not be eligible for the student loan. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 eligible hours for Federal Direct loans.