Pell Grant
The Federal Pell Grant is a federally funded program for undergraduates who demonstrate financial need. The amount of the Pell Grant is based on the cost of attendance, the Expected Family Contribution, and the number of units the student is enrolled in. Awards are prorated if you are enrolled in less than 12 units each semester. Eligible students receive payments twice each semester. Any courses that begin after a student’s first disbursement will be paid in the second disbursement. Students may apply for a Federal Pell Grant any time after October 1st and have a completed file in the Financial Aid Office. Federal Pell Grants are awarded to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's or a professional degree.
Pell Grants are federal grants that do not have to be repaid. Eligibility is determined from the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC), a calculation determined by the information submitted on your 2023-2024 FAFSA. For the 2023-2024 academic year, the maximum Pell Grant is $6,895 based on full-time enrollment for the school year (Fall 2023 and Spring 2024. Pell Grant awards are adjusted if you enroll in fewer than 12 units per semester. Any remaining Pell eligibility will be automatically evaluated for the summer semester.
For the 2023-2024 academic year, the enrollment status for each semester (including summer) is:
| Full-time | 12 or more units |
| ¾-time | 9 to 11.99 units |
| ½-time | 6 to 8.99 units |
| Less than ½-time | 5.99 units or less |
Lifetime Eligibility – Effective July 1, 2012, Federal Pell Grant funds you may receive over your lifetime are limited by federal law to the equivalent of six full years (or 12 semesters of full-time enrollment). This includes Pell funding received at community colleges, vocational schools, and four-year public and private universities for the life of your academic career and is prorated if you are enrolled and receive Pell funding for less than full-time enrollment.
Once you have reached the 600%/6-year full-time enrollment limit, you are not eligible for any additional Pell funding, and there are no exceptions or appeals. Also, once you have earned a bachelor’s degree, you are no longer eligible for a Pell Grant even if you haven’t received the entire 600% eligibility. You may check your current Pell Lifetime Eligibility at www.nslds.gov.
