Federal Pell Grant

Pell Grant

Pell is an entitlement program, which means that the U.S. Government guarantees a grant to all students who show evidence of need. The student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This program is for first undergraduate degree students who are U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens. Students are required to enroll in one or more actual or equivalent credits in a degree granting program. One must maintain good academic standing and make satisfactory progress towards completing a degree. A student enrolled in an undergraduate program may only receive a maximum of 6 years of full time Pell award. This equates to 600% of Lifetime Eligibility Used. Once a student reaches the 600% limit of the Pell award they are no longer eligible. For information about eligibility and the award amount please contact the Financial Aid Office.

Campus-Based Aid Programs

Funds from the two federal programs—Federal Work-Study (FWS) and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)—are awarded to eligible students who attend on at least a half-time basis. Except for FSEOG, which is for undergraduates only, undergraduate and graduate students who are U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens may apply. Unlike Federal Pell and TAP, these are not entitlement programs; the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form (FAFSA), which is used to apply for most financial aid, should be filed each year before the priority deadline of February 15.

Verification

Students who file a FAFSA may be chosen for a process called "verification". When the federal government requires verification, the financial aid office must confirm the information on a student’s FAFSA. Items to be verified include adjusted gross income, US taxes paid, education credits, untaxed IRA distributions, Untaxed pensions, IRA deductions and payments, tax-exempt interest, income earned from work, household size, number in college, and high school completion status. Students chosen for verification cannot receive any disbursements until this process has been completed.

Federal Return to Title IV Policy

Students who cease to be enrolled prior to the end of a payment period or period of enrollment (semester), may have their financial aid package recalculated based on the Federal Return to Title IV regulations. The regulations require that the College calculate the portion of the federal aid a student is entitled to, based on the aid that could have been disbursed had the student remained enrolled and the number of days the student attended classes.

The enrollment status used to calculate financial aid eligibility is set either on the 21st day of classes or at the point the student’s financial aid record becomes payable. Updates on Financial Aid certification dates are available in the Financial Aid Office and on its website.

Students who withdraw from some or all classes prior to the earlier of those dates will have their aid recalculated and could lose some or all of their aid. If a student fails to begin attendance in some or all of their classes, the unattended classes will not be used to calculate their enrollment status for financial aid eligibility. If aid has been disbursed for unattended classes, the student may be required to return funds, with the exception of federal work-study earned, which will not be recouped.

Students who officially withdraw after completing more than 60% of the semester are considered to have "earned" 100% of their federal financial aid, and the College is not required to recalculate their eligibility.

If the Return to Title IV calculation determines that the student is not entitled to a portion of the money that has already been disbursed, the College will return the "unearned" portion to the federal government and the student will be billed for the money that was returned on his or her behalf. A "Negative Service Indicator" will be placed on the student’s record until the money has been repaid to the Bursar.

If the calculation determines that the student is entitled to aid that has not been disbursed, the Office of the University Controller will notify the student of his or her eligibility and give the student the opportunity to decline the post withdrawal disbursement. However, post withdrawal disbursements of federal grant aid will automatically be disbursed to the student's account.

To receive a post withdrawal disbursement of loan funds, the student must sign and return the post withdrawal notice, confirming that he or she wants the loan to be disbursed; however, only the first disbursement of a loan may be disbursed after a student has withdrawn.