2025-26 FAFSA/CADAA Application Period is Now Open
The California priority deadline for FAFSA/CADAA application submissions is Monday, March 3. Scholarship applications are due the same time. For assistance, please contact Financial Aid.
Financial Aid Course Requirements
New Federal, State Financial Aid Eligibility Tied to Students’ Educational Plans
There is an important emphasis in federal financial aid regulations that could cause your federal and state aid to be reduced if you enroll in ineligible coursework.
Beginning in the Fall 2024 semester, only courses that count toward your Student Educational Plan (SEP) (your declared major) can be counted toward enrollment status to determine eligibility for federal and state financial aid programs. For a course to be counted toward enrollment status for federal and state aid, it must be part of your SEP or be necessary to help you earn the total units required to complete your degree, certificate or transfer goals. Not paying attention to this rule could affect your full-time enrollment status and ultimately your financial aid awards.
Starting in the Fall 2024 semester, taking classes that are not in your Student Educational Plan for your officially declared major may result in a reduction to your federal financial aid.
Purpose of the New Course Requirements
The U.S. Department of Education requires that institutions ensure financial aid funds are used to pay for courses that apply to a student’s educational plan. Until recently, technology has not been available to provide an automated way to check each student’s schedule each term. Sierra College will implement a new online tool in Fall 2024.
A Student Educational Plan (SEP) consists of courses required to complete a degree or certificate, inclusive of required coursework within the major and/or degree. The specific courses for a student are identified through DegreeWorks, our degree evaluation tool.
As a Guided Pathways institution, this isn’t just about financial aid, but rather ensuring our students are enrolled in the correct classes needed to graduate in order to progress towards degree completion.
What Types of Financial Aid Will Be Affected by the New Rule?
Disbursement of federal and state financial aid programs (i.e., Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Work-Study, student loans, Cal Grants, Success Grant, etc.) will now be based on coursework that counts toward the program of study.
State aid like the California College Promise Grant (CCPG) or the Sierra College Promise Grant, which waives course fees for eligible California residents, is not subject to the same regulatory restrictions.
3 Steps to Keep Your Financial Aid in Check
1. Meet with your counselor to make sure your courses count
Our counselors are available to assist you with your short-term and long-term educational goals. This includes discussing the best program fit for you at Sierra College, and planning your courses each Fall, Spring and Summer to help you complete your declared degree or certificate as efficiently and effectively as possible. Schedule a counseling appointment.
It is essential that your major is officially declared and noted in your student record. If you have been planning to declare or change your major, but have not yet done so, you should consult a counselor immediately.
Do not register for classes toward the new major until the update to your official major is reflected in your Student Educational Plan (SEP) found in mySierra and DegreeWorks.
3. Check your financial aid eligibility before dropping a class or changing major
Remember that dropping or not attending your courses can negatively impact your eligibility for current and/or future financial aid. It is important that you discuss your SEP with a counselor when you enroll each semester.
If your degree or certificate program is not listed correctly in mySierra, work with your counselor to make them aware of your request. Do not register for classes toward your new major until the update to your official degree or certificate on record is reflected in mySierra.
Financial Aid Awards Are Based on Assumptions
Financial aid awards assume that students will enroll full time in eligible coursework during Fall and Spring terms. Enrollment levels other than full time will create a recalculation of financial aid awards per term. However, in most cases, a student can enroll in less than the assumed full time units and still receive financial aid.
Enrollment Status Types
Number of Units
Full Time
12+
Three Quarter Time
9 – 11.5
Half Time
6 – 8.5
Less Than Half Time
0.5 – 5.5
If your financial aid has been reduced due to enrollment in coursework that does not apply towards outstanding requirements in your Student Educational Plan (SEP), you should schedule a counseling appointment to discuss your academic options. Otherwise, if you have questions regarding financial aid, contact Financial Aid.
Frequently Asked Questions About the New Financial Aid Rules
Find answers to commonly asked questions about the new financial aid rules concerning course requirements.
DegreeWorks will be used to determine if a course is part of a student’s Educational Plan. A process will run prior to the start of each term to include summer to identify students who are impacted. If you are enrolled in ineligible coursework, you will be able to view these ineligible courses in DegreeWorks and in mySierra. You will also be notified through your student email account.
The process will occur again before the first financial aid disbursement date, which occurs the day after the add/drop deadline, also known as Majority Census and financial aid freeze date.
It is imperative that all changes to class registration, your officially declared Student Educational Plan, and any adjustments to the degree evaluation affecting courses that count be made before the financial aid freeze date.
If enrolled in ineligible coursework, you will be notified through your student email account. You can also view DegreeWorks via mySierra to identify eligible and ineligible coursework.
A counselor must approve and process a course substitution by the freeze date for it to be included as eligible coursework for federal financial aid.
All majors must be officially declared and reflected in DegreeWorks by the freeze date to be included as eligible coursework for federal financial aid.
If a Student Educational Plan (SEP) has specific courses that can count as electives, then only those will be eligible unless an adjustment is made by a counselor. If there is no specified list, then any course will count as long as open elective credits exist in the program of study to reach the required 60 units for graduation.
These courses count toward enrollment status for federal and state financial aid only if they are required in your program of study. However, if you are enrolled in an eligible program of study and required to take a prerequisite course prior to enrolling in a required course for the program, the prerequisite may be included in the federal and state financial aid enrollment status. No more than a maximum of 30 attempted units inclusive of remedial / developmental and prerequisite coursework from all post-secondary schools combined can count for financial aid purposes.
If it is included in your education plan/degree audit and you are eligible to receive financial aid payment, then, yes.
If you need to update your Student Educational Plan or degree audit to include your transfer requirement courses, schedule an appointment with your counselor.
Per financial aid regulations, students may receive aid for up to 30 units of remedial coursework as long as the courses are included in the degree audit or Student Educational Plan (SEP).
If you change your Student Educational Plan (SEP) beyond the freeze date and the current semester coursework no longer applies toward your new SEP, your previously disbursed financial aid will not be reduced since you were eligible at the time of disbursement or freeze date, as applicable.
If you need to take courses that are not in your Student Educational Plan (SEP), it is likely that you are not in the program that best fits your educational goal(s). You need to meet with a counselor to ensure you are in the correct program of study. Changing your SEP should be done with great caution because it may impact your eligibility for future terms. Always work with a counselor when you are taking courses outside of your SEP as it may cause you to lose financial aid eligibility by reaching the maximum timeframe for completion of degree or certificate (150% rule).
Only courses that are part of your Student Educational Plan (SEP), as documented in the degree evaluation tool (DegreeWorks), are eligible for federal and state financial aid. Though ineligible coursework is not counted towards your enrollment status for financial aid eligibility, you may still qualify for state aid, such as the California College Promise Grant (CCPG), which will waive your ineligible course fees.
Additionally, if you only have 6 units left to graduate then only those 6 units in your SEP will count toward enrollment status for financial aid in your final semester.
Check DegreeWorks to see if your major is officially declared and that your catalog year is correct. Make an appointment with a counselor if you need to adjust your officially declared program.
Financial aid will be disbursed based on full-time enrollment status (see Enrollment Status Types chart). If at least 12 of your units apply towards outstanding requirements in your Student Educational Plan, then you will still be considered a full time student for federal or state financial aid purposes.
Your federal and state financial aid is based on coursework that applies toward outstanding requirements in your Student Educational Plan (SEP) so your financial aid may be reduced. You have two options:
Meet with a counselor to discuss your academic options. If the semester has not started, it may be in your best interest to drop the ineligible course(s) and enroll only in courses in your officially declared SEP that will be eligible for federal and state financial aid. OR
If the semester has already begun, you will experience a reduction in enrollment status for the courses that do not count toward your SEP, your federal and state financial aid will be reduced. However, if you are eligible for CCPG state aid, your CCPG will still waive the fees for the ineligible courses.
You are not eligible for federal and state financial aid but may still be eligible for the CCPG, which will waive your course fees.
If you are ineligible for CCPG, Sierra College offers a Payment Plan for students to help ease the burden of paying for college. If you plan on receiving financial aid in the future, it is imperative that you maintain a good academic standing and completion rate to qualify for financial aid in the future
