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Federal Pell Grants
Pell Grants are intended to be the financial base for all students applying for federal financial aid. Other forms of aid may be added to the Pell Grant to meet a student’s total financial need. Students wishing to apply for any form of aid must apply for the Pell Grant because it is the basis for determining all other aid awarded. The Pell Grant award is a grant and does not have to be repaid. Eligibility and the actual amount of the student’s award are determined by the U.S. Department of Education on the basis of the student’s own financial resources coupled with the student’s family’s resources and the total appropriation allotted by the federal government of the program for each academic year.
In December 2011, President Obama signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (Public Law 112-74). This law has significantly impacted the Pell Grant Program. Students are now limited to 12 semesters (or 600%) of Pell Grant eligibility during their lifetime. This change affects all students regardless of when or where they received their first Pell Grant.
Whether you have used all of your Pell Grant eligibility or only half, please be conscious about the lifetime limit of the Pell Grant when changing majors and/or scheduling classes.
Can I See My Lifetime Pell Grant Used?
You may view your percentage of Pell Grant used by logging into studentaid.gov. Your ‘Lifetime Eligibility Used’ percentage will be displayed in the ‘Grants’ section.
How Is the Percentage-Used Calculated?
The percentages are based off the annual award at fulltime enrollment status. For students with an annual award attending 12 or more credits in each semester (Fall and Spring for example), the percentage used is 100%. If you only attended 9 credits for two semesters, your percentage used for the academic year would be 75%.
Who Can Receive a Pell Grant?
Once a student has a Bachelor’s degree, they are no longer eligible to receive Pell Grant funds.
Students should register for classes that lead to the completion of their designated major. Pell Grant will not pay for classes taken outside of the student’s major on file at the time the student registers.
The Federal Pell Grant award is prorated when a student is enrolled in less than 12 credit hours in a semester (less than full-time).
Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress. For information visit the Satisfactory Academic Progress webpage.
Students not maintaining satisfactory academic progress may complete the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form.
What Is A Year-Round Pell?
An eligible student may receive full Federal Pell Grant for summer semesters even if they receive a full Federal Pell Grant during the fall and spring semesters. Year-Round Pell allows students to receive up to 150 percent of a regular grant award over the course of the academic year so that they can continue taking classes in the summer and finish their degrees faster than they would otherwise.
Note: The provisions of the law state that any Pell Grant received will be included in determining the student’s Pell Grant duration of eligibility and Lifetime Eligibility Used. To be eligible for the additional summer Pell Grant funding:
- Students must be otherwise eligible to receive Pell Grant funds.
- Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress. Students not maintaining satisfactory academic progress may complete the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form.
What Changes Were Made in the OB3 Bill?
There were major legislative changes to Title IV aid under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3) with most provisions taking effect on July 1, 2026. This includes structural changes to the Pell Grant program. The FAFSA will now exempt the net worth of family farms, commercial fishing businesses, and family-owned businesses with 100 or fewer full-time employees. Students receiving nonfederal grants or scholarships that equal or exceed their entire Cost of Attendance (COA) are no longer eligible for a Pell Grant. To keep Pell Grant eligibility, a student’s Student Aid Index (SAI) must be less than twice the maximum Pell amount.
| Item | Change Level | OLD Rule (BEFORE July 1, 2026) | NEW Rule (AFTER July 1, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pell Eligibility | Moderate Change | Available based on financial need (Student Aid index). Less-than-half-time students qualified for partial Pell. | Students with non-federal aid covering full cost of attendance no longer qualify. New high-asset and foreign income exclusions. |
| Workforce Pell (short-term programs) | New Program (Delta?) | Pell could not be awarded for programs under 16 weeks. | Pell available for approved workforce programs 8 to 15 weeks, 150 to 600 clock hours. Programs must meet federal completion and job placement requirements. Approval takes a year or more. |
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) is similar to the Federal Pell Grant in that it does not have to be repaid except in cases involving a student’s complete withdrawal. SEOG funds are limited and are distributed to students with exceptional need.
A student must be eligible for Federal Pell Grant in order to be considered for SEOG. There is no separate application for these funds, but students are required to complete the FAFSA at www.studentaid.gov.
Students must be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for SEOG. The maximum SEOG award a student may receive per academic year at the college is $800.
Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress. For information, visit the Satisfactory Academic Progress webpage.
Students not maintaining satisfactory academic progress may complete the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form.