Program Required Coursework

Students are not prevented from registering for courses outside of their academic program but, in almost all cases, these classes do not count towards enrollment status and cannot be paid for with financial aid funds including Federal Pell Grants, Mass Free Community College funds, or scholarships.

Degree Applicability: For a course to be counted toward your financial aid enrollment status, it must fulfill a specific requirement in your degree plan, such as a major requirement, a general education requirement, or an elective slot.

Reduced Aid: If you take 12 credits but only 9 are degree-applicable, your financial aid will be calculated as if you are a three-quarter-time student (9 credits), even though you are physically attending 12.

Out-of-Pocket Costs: You are typically responsible for paying the full tuition and fees for any "ineligible" courses that do not fit your degree audit.

Exceptions Where Aid May Still Apply

While the general rule is strict, there are specific scenarios where financial aid may still cover "outside" courses.

Elective Slots: If your program requires 15 credits of general electives and you have not filled them yet, you can take almost any course and receive aid for it.

Remedial Coursework: Federal aid covers up to 30 credit hours of remedial or developmental courses (math modules), even if they are not part of your official degree requirements.

Prerequisites: You may qualify for federal loans for up to 12 months for "preparatory coursework" required for admission into a different degree-granting program at BCC.

Program Changes: If you plan to change your major, you must do so before the end of the drop/add period for your aid to reflect the new requirements (typically five days after the semester begins). Please consult the academic calendar provided by the Registrar's Office for exact dates.

In all cases, the Financial Aid office encourages you to review your degree plan/audit often and to consult your advisor before making final class selections.

Auditing Classes and/or Classes taken as a Non-Degree Seeking Student

Students are not prevented from auditing a class or attending classes as a non-degree student; however, these classes do not count towards enrollment status and cannot be paid for with financial aid funds including but not limited to: Federal Pell Grants, Mass Free Community College funds, and most institutional scholarships.

Credit Requirements: Federal regulations require students to be enrolled in credit-bearing courses that apply to a degree or certificate program to be eligible for aid. Audited courses and courses taken while registered as a non-degree or Bridge to College student do not award aid eligible academic credit and therefore do not count toward your enrollment status (e.g., reaching full-time status).

Ineligible Programs: Audited classes and classes taken as a non-degree student are specifically excluded from coverage by Pell Grants, federal student loans, state aid, and most institutional scholarships.

Status Changes: If you change a course from "graded" to "audit" or your program of study to non-degree after receiving aid, you may lose eligibility for that portion of your funding and be required to repay it immediately.

Tuition Costs: While you cannot use aid, unless you are part of the Bridge to College or other grant Program, you are still responsible for tuition and standard fees. BCC does offer tuition and/or fee reduction for these classes to Senior Citizens (60+), BCC and state workers, and Veterans. Application forms for these tuition waivers are available in the Registrar's Office.

Academic Credit for students enrolled in a Non-Degree Program

Students who take credit bearing classes in a non-degree program and later enroll as a degree seeking student, for example Bridge-to-College, may be able to utilize successfully passed courses towards the completion of their degree. Please contact the Advising Office if you have questions. However, at no time will these classes have been eligible for federal or state aid to cover the cost of tuition and fees.