Enrollment Standards & CPoS | WVU Hub | West Virginia University

General Information

There are various enrollment standards for financial aid eligibility and disbursement.

Some aid programs require full-time enrollment, some require half-time enrollment, and others disburse a certain amount per credit hour if a student is enrolled less than full-time.

For Title IV federal aid and WV state aid eligibility, there are additional requirements regarding repeated coursework and courses required for degree completion (also known as Course Program of Study or degree-pursuant coursework).

Students interested in participating in the WVU High School ACCESS Early College Program should consider their future financial aid eligibility when enrolling in dual credit coursework. Visit our Financial Impacts of Earning Dual Credits During High School webpage for additional information.

Enrollment Standards

Financial aid programs have varying enrollment requirements. The information below applies specifically to determining financial aid eligibility and cost of attendance for financial aid purposes. Enrollment standards for billing purposes or other departments within the University may differ.

Below are the credit hours which determine whether a student is less than half-time, half-time, three-quarters time, or full-time.

Please note that federal and state aid programs have specific requirements which determine if a course may be included as part of enrollment for Title IV federal aid and WV state aid. See our Federal and State Aid Eligibility with CPoS webpage for more information on determining if a course counts toward federal/state aid enrollment requirements.

Undergraduate

Enrollment Status	Fall and Spring (in credit hours)	Summer (in credit hours)
Full-Time	12 or more	12 or more
3/4 Time	9 to 11	9 to 11
Half-Time	6 to 8	6 to 8
Less Than Half-Time	1 to 5	1 to 5

Graduate or Professional

Enrollment Status	Fall and Spring (in credit hours)	Summer (in credit hours)
Full-Time	9 or more	6
3/4 Time	6 to 8	4 to 5
Half-Time	5	3
Less Than Half-Time	1 to 4	1 to 2

Adjustments Based on Enrollment

The financial aid cost of attendance (COA) and financial aid offers for the fall and spring semesters are usually estimated based on anticipated full-time enrollment in courses needed for the student's degree.

If a student enrolls less than full-time, their cost of attendance must be adjusted so it will reflect their actual cost instead of full-time costs. COA can also be impacted by the length of the courses (for estimated living expenses).
Financial aid may also be adjusted.

Cost of Attendance Adjustments

If a student does not enroll full-time, the following components will be adjusted in their financial aid cost of attendance based on enrolled hours.

These will be adjusted to the “cost per credit hour” multiplied by enrolled credit hours:

University tuition
College tuition
University fees
Books, course materials, supplies and equipment
Transportation

Personal expenses are only adjusted if a student’s enrollment is below half-time. If enrollment is above half-time, the personal expenses component of the financial aid COA remains the same. If enrollment is below half-time, personal expenses are adjusted to $0.

Housing and food estimates within the COA are not adjusted, even if a student is only enrolled in one credit hour. They will have full-time housing and food cost estimates.

Financial Aid Adjustments

Financial aid may need to be adjusted to fit within the reduced cost of attendance or reduced financial need. Financial aid cannot exceed a student’s cost of attendance.

In addition, financial aid programs have their own enrollment requirements:

Scholarships and Waivers Grants Federal Work-Study Loans

Scholarships and Waivers

Types of scholarships or waivers that could be impacted include:

Institutional scholarships require full-time enrollment. Institutional scholarships could disburse for less than full-time enrollment if the student is in their last year of eligibility and has an approved Scholarship Exception Request. In these cases, students would need to be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours during their last year of eligibility.
The Promise Scholarship requires full-time enrollment. It can only disburse for less than full-time enrollment if the student is in their last two semesters of eligibility.
Some waivers may also require full-time enrollment. It depends on the criteria of the waiver and the provider.

Grants

Types of grants that could be impacted include:

WVU Guarantee requires full-time enrollment. This grant could disburse for less than full-time enrollment if the student is in their last year of eligibility based on the required degree-pursuant coursework necessary for graduation.
The Federal Pell Grant and the Federal TEACH Grant disburse at a prorated amount per credit hour. For example, a full-time student may receive the full amount, but a student enrolled in six credit hours would receive a reduced amount.
The Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant will not disburse if the student is enrolled less than half-time.
The West Virginia Higher Education Grant will not disburse unless a student is enrolled full-time.
The WV HEAPS Grant will only disburse if a student is enrolled less than full-time.

Federal Work-Study

Students can still receive work-study as long as their reduced cost of attendance has not reduced their financial need for work-study.

Loans

Federal Subsidized, Unsubsidized, Parent PLUS, and Graduate PLUS Loans require at least half-time enrollment to disburse. Adjustments to loan offer amounts may occur if a student is not enrolled full-time. Private loan enrollment requirements vary by lender. Contact the lender with any questions regarding enrollment requirements for their loans.