Federal Pell Grant

Federal Pell Grants are awarded to degree seeking undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's degree. These students must not have been admitted into a graduate or professional degree program.

Award and eligibility

Approximate annual amounts are from $657 to $6,195. You must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine your eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant, premised on awarding parameters.

The lifetime limit of Federal Pell Grant eligibility is titled Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU). Eligible students are limited to receiving 600% of Federal Pell Grants. Every academic year that a student receives a Pell Grant when enrolled full-time counts as 100% towards the 600% maximum. This means that students have approximately 6 years of Pell Grant eligibility before reaching the lifetime limit.

Since a Federal Pell Grant is premised on a specific level of enrollment (full-time, three-quarter time, half-time, or less than half-time), it is imperative that a recipient engage in academic activities associated with each course that constitutes a student's level of enrollment. For example, if a student receives a Federal Pell Grant premised on full-time enrollment and it is later determined that the student failed to engage in academic work of at least 12 credit hours per academic term, he or she may be billed for all or a portion of the full time Federal Pell Grant already received.