<p>My major at MTSU is Digital Media and this seems to correspond with the smart grant cip code **11.0801 Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources design ** , as we will be covering all of that stuff. But I’m being told that my name is not coming up in the smart grant database. I recieved it last year (junior) when I was computer science. Now I’m a senior, 3.5, and receive full PELL.</p>
<p>Could this be a case of the major just not being submitted to the program to be assigned a CIP code and if so how would I go about getting that done? (The smart grant coordinator at my school is insanely busy right now and hasn’t gotten back to me after several attempts to contact her.)</p>
<p>Call the financial aid office & explain it to them. I think they are probably going to have to be the ones who get the program okay’d (assuming they do find that it’s within the guidelines of the SMART grant program).</p>
<p>I tried to look up the degree info for your school, but the website will not cooperate. However, from what I can see, it looks like the program is more communications-based than math/science based. You <em>may</em> not be eligible for the grant now that you’ve changed majors. I could be wrong, but you need to consider that possibility. The guidelines are really strict.</p>
<p>BY the same token, while you may not be eligible, it may also just be that some one made an error. The program is strict and confusing- they pass rules at the last minute and expect finaid offices to implement screening programs, people make mistakes, so ask them to double check</p>
<p>No new information, I’m going to talk to the head of financial aid this week. Web design is what I’m majoring in. Web design is on the list. (as well as plenty of other non-scientific majors) Mine even includes plenty of programming. </p>
<p>Has anyone else had a similar experience getting a school to get off their ass and submit a major for approval?</p>
<p>Yeah, the lady that runs the smart grant says there is a system she refers to (I’m assuming a computer program) that notifies her if students are eligible. She said it wasn’t showing up and wouldn’t give me any more information except saying, “Now you wouldn’t want to have to payback all that money if it was wrong now would you.” Well, I’d take my chances considering I’ll have to payback all my loans, lol.</p>
<p>No new information? This thread was started by you ONE YEAR ago. What happened last year? Did you ever get this SMART grant issue resolved? Are you having the same problem again?</p>
<p>I mean I came back to check this thread for anything. No they just flat out denied to look into it further for me last year and I got so caught up in all my school work that I didn’t push the issue to the top of the financial aid department where it belongs. So no, it was never resolved and I never pushed it any further them then just telling me the major wasn’t showing up in the computer. If I’m not mistaken they may have to send in paperwork to make sure the major is approved and being a state school that never really tries hard to help it’s students out, it’s likely they’ve not done any of this.</p>
<p>There is a list of approved CIP codes. If the course is on the list, then it is SMART eligible. If it is not on the list for THAT particular year, it is NOT eligible. There is nothing to petition … it is or it isn’t. Your registrar’s office has assigned a CIP code to every program at your school. What you need to find out from the registrar is this: what is the CIP code for your program? Then go to the following list & see if it’s on the list: <a href=“http://ifap.ed.gov/codtechref/attachments/0809CODTechRefVol6Sec9RigCIPCodes.pdf[/url]”>http://ifap.ed.gov/codtechref/attachments/0809CODTechRefVol6Sec9RigCIPCodes.pdf</a>. If it’s not, you are out of luck. Your degree program would have to be classified as 11.0801. You can’t petition to have the program reclassified - the classification is done according to DOE content regulations.</p>
<p>In addition to being in the right program, you have to have been enrolled full time (not a credit below FULL) and you must have been enrolled in at least one class SPECIFIC to your major requirements during the term in order to get SMART. That changes for 09-10, but those were the regs in effect for 08-09.</p>
<p>I actually take 15 to 18 hours every semester so there’s no possible way I’m not full time, I’m also receiving full pell, and i changed majors late so every single class i take is major related (no filler classes at this point)</p>
<p>I now understand that what I was going find out was if there was a way to get the school to correctly classify the cip code. I will contact my registrars office and find out this cip code for this program. I’m 90% sure that it must be classified wrong. If I can ever get the catalogue to load I would show you. </p>
<p>Anyway, nothing is impossible. Once I find out about the cip code I will talk to some local people on the Tennessee Board of Regents and find out about having them review it next time they meet.</p>
<p>How do you verify what the CIP code for a specific college’s majors are? I mean, for example if a subject is listed as SMART eligible, and the name of a college’s major is similar or even exactly the same as listed on the eligibility list, is it not possible that the CIP codes may still not match? </p>
<p>For dozens upon dozens of university catalogs I have looked at, I never saw a CIP code listed on any of them.</p>
<p>CIP codes are used to classify programs/majors at colleges. CIP codes are standardized by the Dept. of Education & the chief academic officers at schools are responsible for classifying majors into CIP codes within published guidelines. You can see the descriptions here: [CIP</a> 2000 - Changes from 1990](<a href=“CIP 2000 - Changes from 1990”>CIP 2000 - Changes from 1990). This is a list of new codes, and the one you referred to is here. Each CIP code specifies course content, and the academic heads are charged with deciding on the proper CIP code for a major at its school. </p>
<p>We have a Human Nutrition major at our school that includes a lot of science classes, but ultimately it does not include all of the elements of a nutrition science major & thus does not have the same CIP code as a SMART-eligible Nutrition Science major. Students have argued with us over this, but the elements of this major do not allow it to be classified any other way. </p>
<p>Ultimately, your school cannot simply change a CIP code. The major was classified the way it is for a reason.</p>