The Federal Pell Grant program is regulated by the federal government and is an important source of financial assistance for eligible students. It is recommended that students applying for a Federal Pell Grant be enrolled for six or more hours. However, a Federal Pell Grant may be available to students who enroll for less than half-time (please contact the Financial Aid Office for additional information concerning less-than-half-time Federal Pell Grants). The amount of the Federal Pell Grant award will vary with the number of semester hours carried and the financial need demonstrated by the student. Students who have demonstrated eligibility and have completed the review process with the Financial Aid Office may use Federal Pell Grant funds at registration. Any additional amount due the student will be paid later in the semester. Students must also be enrolled in courses that apply to their degree/certificate program. If students are enrolled in courses that do not count toward their degree/certificate, those hours cannot be included in their enrollment status for the purpose of determining the student’s award.
Summer 150% Pell Grants
Eligibility
To be eligible for a summer Pell Grant, you must:
- Have completed a 2023-2024 FAFSA
- Be Pell Grant eligible
- Enroll in summer classes before the Financial Aid ORD deadline
- In some cases, there is a requirement to enroll at least half-time (6+ credits)
- Be meeting SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress)
- Have lifetime Pell Grant eligibility remaining
Check your Lifetime Eligibility
You can check for your remaining eligibility level online by logging on to the nslds.ed.gov using your FSA ID. View your Lifetime Eligibility Units (LEU) on the Financial Aid Review page. The maximum time frame that students may receive Federal Pell Grant is the equivalent of twelve full-time semesters. One full-time semester of Pell equals 50%. The additional summer Pell counts toward the lifetime limit.
Dropping, Withdrawing or Failing Classes
It is possible that you could owe money back for all or part of your Federal Pell Grant if you do not complete classes that you registered for in the summer. The amount you may owe will be calculated based on the drop date, the number of credits and the last day that you attended classes.
Pell Grant Amount Depends on Enrollment
Your summer Pell Grant amount will depend on the number of credits you are registered in, as well as your Pell Lifetime eligibility Units (LEU). The Pell Grant amount will be adjusted based on your enrollment at the Summer ORD. Enrollment levels are defined in the following manner:
- 12+ credits = 100% of the semester Pell Grant amount
- 9-11 credits = 75% of the semester Pell Grant amount
- 6-8 credits = 50% of the semester Pell Grant amount
An example of how Year Round Pell (YRP) works for a student who has used 100% of the Scheduled Year Award
A student with an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $0 is eligible for $7,395 in Pell grant for the year, or $3,698 for the fall semester and $3,697 for the spring semester.
Under the YRP program, this student could receive an additional $3,697 for the summer semester if they enrolled full-time (12 credits).
If the student enrolls half-time (6 credits) for the summer semester, the student would receive a $1,849 Federal Pell Grant for the summer, or one-half of a full award. If the student enrolls in less the 6 credits, they would not receive any Pell grant.