Students receiving help at LAC’s Financial Aid office. For most students, starting the fall semester, courses outside of their major will not be covered by financial aid. (Thavarath Ellis)
LBCC’s financial aid office sent out an email with information regarding a new change to the Course Program of Study that may affect students who are dependent on financial aid. This new change could result in students paying out of pocket for classes that are not part of their major.
CPoS (Course Program of Study) refers to the classes that count towards the completion of a degree that students are trying to get here at LBCC.
However, if the class students choose does not correlate with their major, then they would have to pay out of pocket because FAFSA will not cover it.
These financial aid regulations require that students who depend on FAFSA can only use it for courses that align with their major.
For example, a student dependent on financial aid with a journalism major would need to pay out of pocket for any automotive or theater classes as they are not considered mandatory classes.
“(It’s) going to go into effect for the fall 2026 semester. So any aid that you’re currently receiving for your spring courses or summer courses will not be impacted by these rules and regulations,” said Victoria Cooper, a financial aid advisor.
Cooper outlined the new rule, “In order to receive financial aid, your courses must apply towards your LBCC major for your certificate, associate’s or transfer degree, just depending on what you’re working on. And it will only allow you to list one major,” Cooper said. .
Taking courses outside of your major will affect the amount of aid you receive or your enrollment status for aid as those units for the class outside of your major do not count towards the units you need for FAFSA.
Cooper also noted that any financial aid program will be impacted, “That will be the federal Pell-grant, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant or FSEOG, any federal student loans and Federal Work Study.”
In a meeting held via Zoom to discuss financial aid, Cooper also discussed that students who use fee waivers will not be affected by this program. Neither will the California College Promise grant, the Long Beach College Promise grant, Viking Advantage or the Dream Act Service Incentive Grant.
In order to avoid having problems regarding which course aligns with one’s major, LBCC recommends that students review their degree plan carefully and with their counselor before enrolling in classes.
Assistant professor of fashion, Marc Marinez, spoke about what support he may need from the financial aid department.
“My feeling is that the school and financial aid are working within the means that they have. I don’t think it’s necessarily cruel that students don’t have the opportunity for financial aid to explore their hobbies. I think it’s how we’re funded,” Martinez said.
If a student plans to change their major, it is recommended that they do so as soon as possible.
“It is a requirement from the U.S. Department of Education. So in order for us to continue dispersing financial aid, we have to meet any rules or requirements that they put on financial aid,” Cooper said.
The frustrations given by students can also be found with professors like Marco Randazzo, who is an English instructor.
“I don’t think people should be able to have their financial aid cut if they want to take extracurriculars and try to push themselves to learn different avenues,” Randazzo said.
LBCC student Yazmine Soto, a business major, expressed that her interest to explore more classes outside of her major has shifted due to the change.
“If it was covered by FASFA, I would love to join the class without a bother, but considering that it’s not under my criteria for my degree I most likely will not pay out of pocket for it,” Soto said.
With this change, LBCC strives for students to complete their required classes faster and finish with their degree as soon as possible by taking courses they need to complete their studies.
