Federal Pell Grant
The Federal Pell Grant is awarded by the U.S. Department of Education and is based on the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is determined by information entered on the FAFSA. Pell Grants are awarded to both full and part-time undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor’s or professional degree.
Please note that any changes to the FAFSA data may result in an adjustment to your Pell Grant, including but not limited to:
- Review of your FAFSA due to Verification.
- Enrollment less than full-time (12 credits undergraduate). We also recommend that you contact your financial aid counselor to discuss how part-time enrollment may impact your awards.
- Corrections made by staff due to conflicting university data.
You will receive a revised award notification each time your award package has been adjusted.
Federal Pell Grant Limit
The amount of Federal Pell Grant funds you may receive over the course of your lifetime is limited by federal law. You may receive the Pell Grant for the equivalent of six years of full-time study. Each year of full-time study that you complete is equal to 100%. Because six years is the limit by federal law, students may receive 600% of their Pell Grant eligibility.
If you are approaching your lifetime limit for the Pell Grant, the financial aid office will calculate for you your remaining eligibility for each academic year.
You are able to check your lifetime eligibility used (LEU) as well by visiting the National Student Loan Database System (NSLDS) and going to the Financial Aid Review page. Additional information regarding the lifetime Pell Limit can be found on the Federal Student Aid website.
Enrollment Intensity
- Beginning with the 2024-2025 aid year, the Pell Grant will no longer be based on enrollment status. Instead, Pell Grant disbursement amounts will now be calculated using Enrollment Intensity - which is a percentage value based on the number of credits a student is enrolled for during a term.
- For federal student aid purposes, full-time enrollment is 12 credit hours.
- The chart below illustrates enrollment intensity relative to full-time enrollment. Note that enrollment intensity cannot exceed 100% for purposes of Pell Grant proration.
Credit Hours |
Enrollment Category (OLD) |
Enrollment Intensity (NEW) |
| 12 (or more) |
Full-Time |
100% |
| 11 |
Three-Quarter Time |
92% |
| 10 | 83% | |
| 9 | 75% | |
| 8 |
Half-Time |
67% |
| 7 | 58% | |
| 6 | 50% | |
| 5 |
Less-than-Half-Time |
42% |
| 4 | 33% | |
| 3 | 25% | |
| 2 | 17% | |
| 1 | 8% |