All federal grant funding has its own unique requirements and funding limitations. To determine eligibility for federal grant funding, a student must first complete a FAFSA application. The University awards grants based on a first-come, first-serve basis, so completing a FAFSA application late may affect awarding depending on what funding is left at the time your application is processed.
Federal Pell Grant
The Federal Pell Grant is awarded to undergraduate, degree seeking students who have not obtained a bachelor's or professional degree. Pell grant eligibility is determined for those students who complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The amount awarded is based on the following:
- Student Aid Index (SAI)
- Cost of attendance (as determined by institution)
- Student's enrollment status
- Whether student attends for a full academic year or less.
The maximum Pell grant awarded annually will vary from year to year.
Federal Pell grant award proration based on student enrollment is noted below:
Pell Lifetime Eligibility Used (Pell LEU)
Federal regulations effective July 1, 2012 limit the amount of Pell Grant received to a lifetime limit of 12 full-time semesters (the six-year equivalent of 600%). ALL semesters at previous institutions will be included in the total. A student also becomes ineligible for a Pell grant if they earn a bachelor's degree prior to reaching the 12-full time semester limit. This limit is tracked by the U.S. Department of Education and may also be monitored by logging into the National Student Loan Data System.