Year-Round Pell
The Year-Round Pell Grant allows eligible students to take courses in the summer and complete their degrees faster.
Year-Round Pell
An eligible student may now receive a full Federal Pell Grant for the summer semester even if they received 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. With careful planning, Pell Grant recipients may take advantage of this new regulation to earn their degree faster. However, students should keep in mind that the summer term is shorter (8-10 weeks) than fall and spring semesters (16 weeks). Students should consult with their academic advisor to develop a manageable course load for the shorter summer term. Just because students may be eligible for full-time Pell Grant funds does not mean students are required to carry a full-time load.
Note: The provisions of the new law state that any Pell Grant received will be included in determining the student’s Pell Grant duration of eligibility and Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU). To be eligible for additional Pell Grant funds:
- student must be otherwise eligible to receive Pell Grant funds for the payment period
- student must be enrolled at least half-time in the payment period(s) (6 credit hours) during the summer term
- student must be maintaining satisfactory academic progress
How much may I receive in Year-Round Pell?
Student A has a zero Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and is eligible for a full Federal Pell Grant for the academic year. Student A was enrolled full-time for the fall and spring semesters and received full Pell disbursements. With the new implementation of Year Round Pell, the student will now be eligible to receive a full-time disbursement in Summer if enrolled in twelve credit hours.
| Scenario 1 | Fall Semester (Full-Time) |
Spring Semester (Full-Time) |
Summer Semester (Full-Time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | 12 credit hour | 12 credit hours | 12 credit hours |
| EFC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pell Awarded | $2960 | $2960 | $2960 |
| Percentage | 50% | 50% | 50% |
Student B has a zero EFC and is eligible for a full Federal Pell Grant for the academic year. Student B was enrolled full-time for the fall and spring semesters and received full Pell disbursements. With the new implementation of Year Round Pell, the student will now be eligible to receive a half-time disbursement in Summer if enrolled in six credit hours.
| Scenario 2 | Fall Semester (Full-Time) |
Spring Semester (Full-Time) |
Summer Semester (Half-Time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | 12 credit hours | 12 credit hours | 6 credit hours |
| EFC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pell Awarded | $2960 | $2960 | $1480 |
| Percentage | 50% | 50% | 25% |
Student C has a zero EFC and is eligible for a full Federal Pell Grant for the academic year. Student C was enrolled full-time for the fall semester and received a full disbursement and was enrolled three-quarter time for the spring semester and received a three-quarter time disbursement. With the new implementation of Year Round Pell, the student will now be eligible to receive a full disbursement in Summer if enrolled in twelve credit hours.
| Scenario 3 | Fall Semester (Full-Time) |
Spring Semester (Full-Time) |
Summer Semester (Full-Time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | 12 credit hours | 9 credit hours | 12 credit hours |
| EFC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pell Awarded | $2960 | $2220 | $2960 |
| Percentage | 50% | 37% | 50% |
Student D has a zero EFC and is eligible for a full Federal Pell Grant for the academic year. Student D was enrolled full-time for the fall and spring semesters but only enrolls for four credit hours during the summer semester. Student D is not enrolled at least half-time and therefore is not eligible for additional Pell Grant funds for Summer.
| Scenario 4 | Fall Semester (Full-Time) |
Spring Semester (Full-Time) |
Summer Semester (Less than Half-Time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | 12 credit hours | 12 credit hours | 4 credit hours |
| EFC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pell Awarded | $2960 | $2960 | $0 |
| Percentage | 50% | 50% | 0% |
For more information, please contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.