Classes Eligible for Financial Aid

U.S. Department of Education regulations require that a student must be enrolled in an eligible Program of Study to receive financial aid. In addition, only classes required for your Program of Study are eligible for financial aid funding. Financial aid disbursements (what is paid to your account) are calculated based on your HFC active Program of Study. Only classes required for your eligible active Program of Study are eligible for financial aid funding. Classes not required for your Program of Study are not eligible for any financial aid funding.

If you are unsure of your active Program of Study, login to HFC Self-Service: View Your Progress. If your Program of Study is incorrect, please contact an Advisor for assistance in updating your program.

What programs are eligible for financial aid funding?

Any program that grants an associate degree, as well as most certificate programs of at least 16 credit hours in length. Exception: Recently approved programs may be ineligible until the College receives federal approval.

Why do I have to be enrolled in an eligible program?

According to U.S. Department of Education regulations, financial aid funds are only available to students pursuing a degree program and/or eligible certificate program.

How do I view my Program of Study and/or check if my classes are required?

Sign in to Student Planning and choose "View Your Progress" to view your current Program of Study and its required classes.

How do I change my Program of Study?

If your current program is not correct or if you need additional assistance with choosing your classes, we strongly encourage you to meet with an Academic Advisor.

What if I want to take classes that are not required for my Program of Study?

If you are a financial aid student, you are welcome to take classes which are not required for your Program of Study. However, you will need to plan to pay for those classes out-of-pocket or, if you are eligible for a financial aid refund, you may choose to use your refund to pay the tuition/fees for those classes.

What if a class is not part of my Program of Study but is a required pre-requisite?

There are some instances when a class is required but is not listed on your program of study. Examples include required pre-requisites (i.e. MATH-180 is required before a student can take MATH-183 but only MATH-183 is listed on the Program of Study), course substitutions approved by academic departments, as well as certain classes for the Honors Program.

If a class is required but not listed on the Program of Study, the student must submit the Financial Aid Course Eligibility Exception Request. Once submitted the Office of Financial Aid will review the request and determine whether or not the credits for the class can be included as eligible credits for financial aid. If approved, the student will be notified (via HawkMail). In addition, approved overrides will be entered into the system after the second week of classes.

NOTE: Developmental and ELI courses are eligible for financial aid funding even though they are not listed on the Program of Study. The Financial Aid Course Eligibility Exception Request does not need to be submitted for developmental or ELI courses.

I need to take a developmental MATH or ENG class and it is not listed as required on my Program of Study.

Developmental courses (classes below the 100 level: ENG-093, MATH-080, etc...) are eligible for financial aid funding, up to a maximum of 30 attempted credits of developmental courses. As long as the student is otherwise eligible for financial aid, the credits for the developmental course will be considered as eligible for financial aid.

ELI courses (ELI-101R, ELI-101W, etc...) are also eligible for financial aid. As long as the student is otherwise eligible for financial aid, the credits for ELI courses will be considered as eligible for financial aid.