The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Stay on Track
Did You Know...
Per the United States Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) 34-Education, a school cannot award federal Title IV aid for credit hours/course work that will not count toward the completion of a student's degree program requirements.
Students enrolling in courses that are not required to complete their degree could see their financial aid prorated and/or cancelled as required by the U.S. Department of Education.
What is ‘Stay on Track’ Requirement?
‘Stay on Track’ is the process used by UTRGV to identify courses within a student’s degree plan. Courses that do not apply toward a student’s degree program will not be eligible for financial aid. All enrolled courses must count in a student’s declared major/minor using the university’s degree evaluation tool to be counted as part of the student’s degree plan.
Important Guidelines to Follow
- Know Your Degree Plan: Financial aid will only pay for courses that are in your declared major/minor
- Act Early: If your financial aid award has been reduced due to enrollment in courses that do not count in your degree plan, contact us at stayontrack@utrgv.edu or call us at (956) 882-4026.
- Contact Your Academic Advisor: Work closely with your Academic Advisor to ensure you are registered only in courses that count in your degree plan (major/minor).
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of Financial Aid are affected by the ‘Stay on Track’ requirement?
All types of financial aid such as Federal and State and Institutional aid will only be paid for courses that count towards the student’s degree plan. Cost of attendance for students will be reduced for courses that are not counting in their degree plans, which can result in a lower amount of Federal, State, and Institutional aid students can receive. These aid types include, but not limited to Pell Grant, Teach Grant, Work Study, Direct Loans, FSEOG, TEXAS Grant, Texas Public Education Grant, College Access Loan, Tuition Advantage, Summer Boost and others.
How are Scholarships affected by the ‘Stay on Track’ requirement?
Scholarships are not withheld for courses that don’t apply to students’ degree plans. However, students with scholarships and that also have need-based aid, could have their scholarships adjusted due to a reduction in the cost of attendance.
How are students notified when courses will not be paid by financial aid?
Students will be notified via their UTRGV email and will have an alert posted on their Financial Aid self-service page in ASSIST. Students can also view their courses using Degree Works. Advisors are another source of help for students regarding their degree plans. They will discuss course options with students so that students can update their class schedules so that all courses fit the degree plan.
When will the process be run to identify courses not in a student’s degree plan?
The degree evaluation tool will be used to determine if courses are part of a students’ degree plan. If they are not, students impacted by ‘Stay on Track’ process will be notified before the start of the semester. This process will run before disbursement of financial aid (10 days prior to first class day). It will continue to run through Census date (12th class day in regular terms, 4th class day in Summer, and 5th class day for Modules). After this point no further adjustments will be allowed. It is important that all changes to a student’s degree plan be made prior to Census date of each term/semester.
What if I don’t know whether a course counts toward my degree?
Undergraduate students should reference DegreeWorks in ASSIST to determine which courses count and don’t. Graduate students should consult with their graduate program coordinators. Medical students should consult with the SOM’s designated registrar official.
What should I do if I have been notified that one or more of my courses do not count in my degree plan (declared major, minor, and/or concentration)?
Undergraduate students will be notified via their UTRGV email and will have an alert posted on their Financial Aid self-service page on ASSIST. In addition, students can view their courses using ‘Degree Works.’ Academic Advisors are a student’s point of contact on whether courses are included in a degree plan. They will assist students with updating their course schedule so that all courses are within a student’s degree plan.
How many hours (courses) do I need to enroll in?
Students’ financial aid awards will be calculated based only on hours enrolled that count toward the degree plan. Students receiving financial aid are strongly encouraged to only take courses that count toward completion of their degree. For financial aid purposes, a student is considered full-time if enrolled in 12 credit hours or more as an undergraduate, or 9 credit hours as a graduate/professional student. Note: Some financial aid programs for undergraduates require enrollment in 15 hours.
What if a course is not being counted for my financial aid eligibility, but I believe it counts toward my degree?
Students should always reference their official degree plans in the UTRGV Catalog, or Degree Works for undergraduates. However, if a student believes a course should count toward the degree, but it is not covered by Financial Aid, contact your advisor or graduate program coordinator.
What if I drop all the courses counting toward my degree, but I remain enrolled in other courses?
Only courses that count toward a student’s degree can be covered by financial aid. If a student drops all courses that count toward the degree and remain enrolled only in courses that do not count toward the degree, this will result in financial aid being canceled and the student may be required to repay all or a portion of the financial aid disbursed to you.
How does Repeated Coursework affect the Stay on Track Requirement?
There are two separate process that will affect repeated courses. The first is the degree plan evaluation and the second is the repeated coursework evaluation. A repeated course will count for ‘Stay on Track’ evaluation process if it is part of a student’s degree plan. However, the repeated course would still need to pass the repeated coursework evaluation to be eligible for financial aid.
What if I am retaking a course?
Students are allowed to repeat a previously passed course that counts toward the degree only once. The only exception is for courses that are required to be taken multiple times (using the same course number throughout a degree program) and where the content is different each time the course is taken.
How does this affect athletic scholarships and aid?
Athletes are required to enroll full-time, unless certified to be in final hours before graduation. If an athlete has federal aid in the aid award package and is not enrolled full-time (12 hours or more for undergraduates or 9 hours or more for graduate students) in courses that count in the degree plan, the cost of attendance will be reduced. This may impact financial aid depending on individual aid packages and sources of funds.
How does the ‘Stay on Track’ requirement affect Cost of Attendance?
The Cost of Attendance is an estimate of the cost for students to go to school for a specific amount of time such as per semester or per year. It is based on a student’s enrollment status. Enrollment status for financial aid consideration is based on eligible courses only. If a student is enrolled in 12 hours or more that count toward the degree plan, the student will be considered a full-time student for cost of attendance purposes.
How do changes of major impact the Stay on Track Requirement?
Only the courses that count toward a student’s declared major in the degree plan as of Census date for each semester will be evaluated for financial aid eligibility. Courses counting toward future declared majors/minors will not count. The Census Date for each term is published on the academic calendar. It is important that all changes to a student’s declared major be made far in advance of the first class day to avoid adverse impacts to financial aid.
How are courses for double majors treated?
Double majors must be officially declared far in advance of the first class day to avoid adverse impacts to financial aid. The Census Date for each term is published on the academic calendar. Courses taken toward an undeclared major will not count in the ‘Stay on Track’ evaluation process.
How are courses for a minor treated?
Minors must be officially declared far in advance of the first class day to avoid adverse impacts to financial aid. The Census Date for each term is published on the academic calendar. Courses taken toward an undeclared minor will not count in the ‘Stay on Track’ evaluation process.
Are prerequisite courses eligible for financial aid?
When a course is required that is not in a student’s degree plan, this prerequisite course could be considered remedial for financial aid purposes, even if the prerequisite course is not defined as a remedial course by UTRGV.
Is a remedial course eligible for financial aid?
Courses such as remedial math and English that prepare students for college are considered eligible for financial aid if student is enrolled as a regular student in an eligible program.
What about study abroad or independent study courses?
As with any other course, the study abroad courses or independent study courses must count toward a student’s degree plan to be considered for financial aid eligibility.
What if I am enrolled in 12 hours (or more) that count toward the degree but I’m also in other hours that don’t count?
As long as you remain in a minimum of twelve hours that apply toward your degree based on your official degree plan, you will be awarded financial aid for those hours – which match UTRGV’s tuition cap of 12 credit hours.
I am an international student. Why am I getting notices about financial aid?
International students may have changes in status, including citizenship, that make them eligible for financial aid later. We would like our international students to be aware of requirements should they qualify for and accept financial aid in future semesters.