A student who ‘repeats’ coursework (ie: enrolls for the same course more than one time) is allowed to include the repeated coursework when determining the student's enrollment status (full-time, three-quarter-time, half-time or less-than-half-time). And, for financial aid purposes, grants/loans may be used to pay for the repeated coursework.
However, federal regulations were modified to impose limitations on repeated coursework with regards to TITLE IV federal funds, which includes Pell Grant, Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans, Parent/Graduate PLUS Loans, Perkins Loan, SEOG Grant and TEACH Grant.NOTE: other state/institutional aid (grants/loans) may be adjusted as well only IF the reduced Title IV federal cost-of-attendance results in less eligibility for state/institutional aid. These new regulations do not require an institution to allow repetitions nor does it limit how often the student repeats coursework but rather only addresses the treatment of repeated courses for Title IV purposes, as below:
- In order to receive Title IV federal funds (as above) for a repeat course, a previously PASSED course may be repeated only ONE TIME and the student may receive Title IV federal funds for this repeated course only ONE TIME. If this passed course continues to be repeated more than once, Title IV federal funds will no longer pay for this repeated course. For example, a student enrolled full-time may receive Title IV federal funds as a three-quarter time student if one of the enrolled courses is being repeated for a second, or more, time.
- In ‘Block Credit’ situations in which the university requires a student to successfully complete a ‘group’ of courses before being allowed to proceed to the next ‘group’ of courses, Title IV federal funds will not be used to pay for previously passed repeat courses due to other failed coursework. For example, a student enrolls in a ‘group’ of four classes in the fall semester and passes only three courses; as a result of failing one class, the university requires the student to retake the failed class as well as the three previously passed classes. When the student repeats all four classes in the spring semester, the failed class would be included in the student's enrollment status but the three passed classes would NOT be; therefore, Title IV federal funds will pay for the one failed course but not the three previously passed courses.
- Title IV federal, state and institutional aid (grants/loans) will pay for unlimited repeats of FAILED courses (ie: F,NC, W, WF’s) as these limitations pertain only to PASSED courses.
- A student may receive Title IV federal, state and institutional funds for non-credit or remedial coursework for no more than one year. Once the student has reached the one-year limit, financial aid may not be used to pay further remedial coursework, new or repeated.
- Repeated courses (both passed and failed) will affect Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in that a repeated course (along with the original attempt) must be counted towards the maximum time frame.
- The student will be charged $100 per semester credit hour (for Summer 2012) and $150 per semester credit hour (for Fall 2012 and thereafter) for courses taken at MSU for a third or more time.
Please do not hesitate to contact the MSU Financial Aid Office (sara.connolly@msutexas.edu) or call 940:397:4566 should you have questions regarding this regulation and how it affects your financial aid awards.