Financial Aid for Repeated Coursework

Federal Regulations stipulate the way enrollment status is determined for students who are repeating coursework in which they previously received a letter grade of D- or higher. An institution may pay a student one time for retaking previously-passed coursework. To determine a student’s enrollment status (full-time vs. part-time), the school may not include more than one repetition of a previously passed course.

Example: Two years ago, Sam enrolled in a 3-hour Applied Mathematics course and received a grade of D-. Sam took the same course again last year and received a grade of C-. His major requires that he pass the class with a C or better, so Sam decides to take the course again this semester. Sam is enrolled in 9 hours of other coursework plus the Applied Math class, for a total of 12 hours. The 3 hours of that class are not included in determining Sam’s enrollment status for the current semester because it is the 2nd time he is repeating a class in which he previously received a “passing” grade. Sam would be paid financial aid as a part-time student because he is enrolled in 12 hours minus the 3 hours of the course he’s repeating for the second time, which do not count. For financial aid purposes, Sam is enrolled in 9 eligible hours.