Changing majors without losing aid

The federal limits keep counting

Federal grants follow you into a new major, but the clock comes along too. Credits from the old major usually still count toward the maximum timeframe of one and a half times your program's length. Some colleges have a policy that sets aside credits that do not apply to the new major, so ask whether yours does.

Pell lifetime use keeps adding up regardless of major, up to the equivalent of twelve full-time semesters. Federal aid also pays only for courses that count toward the program you are enrolled in. Once you switch, a class required only by the old major may no longer be covered.

Awards that belong to a field

A TEACH Grant is tied to a TEACH-eligible program, and leaving that program ends new TEACH payments. Grants already paid can still become a loan if the teaching service in the agreement is not completed. Ask the aid office and the TEACH Grant servicer how the switch affects your agreement.

State grants for high-demand fields, such as nursing or teaching, are set by the state agency and often require staying in the approved program. Departmental scholarships usually end when you leave the department. A college merit award from admissions generally stays with you, though its grade and credit rules continue.

Planning the switch

Ask your adviser for a degree audit that shows how your finished credits apply to the new major. That audit shows how many terms remain and whether they fit inside the timeframe limit. If they do not, an appeal with an academic plan may be possible.

Then take the audit to the aid office and the scholarship office. They can tell you which awards continue and whether a summer term would help. Switching early in college usually costs less time and less aid than switching late.