Pell Grants

Need-Based | Free Money | Undergraduate

Federal Pell Grants are for undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need, and who have not yet earned a bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree. Unlike loans, Pell Grants do not require repayment, unless the student withdraws from school and owes a refund.

Additional Pell Grant Eligibility

If your parent died while serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces or as a public safety officer, you may be eligible for additional Pell Grant funds.

Need-Based

Pell Grants are only available to students who demonstrate financial need:

Cost of Attendance (COA) – Student Aid Index (SAI) = Financial Need


  • Pell Grants are a type of Federal Student Aid. You apply by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.

    You will have to fill out the FAFSA form every award year that you are in school to stay eligible for federal student aid.

    For more information, visit Federal Student Aid.

  • Pell Grant award amounts can change every award year.

    • 2025-26 Award Year: The maximum Pell Grant award is $7,395 (scheduled award).

    The exact amount of your scheduled award will depend on:

    • your Student Aid Index (SAI),

    • your school's Cost of Attendance (COA),

    • whether you are full-time or part-time, and

    • whether you will be attending school for a full academic year during the award year.

    In some cases, you may be eligible to receive 150% of your scheduled award (sometimes called “Year-Round Pell”).

    The amount may not exceed the Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU) limit.

    If you’re eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, you’ll receive the full amount you qualify for—each school participating in the program receives enough funds each year from the U.S. Department of Education to pay the Federal Pell Grant amounts for all its eligible students. The amount of any other student aid for which you might qualify does not affect the amount of your Federal Pell Grant.

  • You may receive Federal Pell Grants for no more than 6 years. Since the amount of a scheduled Pell Grant award you can receive each award year is equal to 100%, 6 years is equal to 600% .Once a student reaches 600%, they may no longer receive Pell Grant funding

    If your LEU is greater than 500%, you may see a comment in your FAFSA Submission Summary.

    For more information, visit https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/grants/pell/calculate-eligibility.

  • If you are Pell-eligible, you'll receive your Pell Grant award in at least two payments called disbursements. Generally, Federal Student Aid disbursements are scheduled for the beginning and midpoint of your academic year or program.

    Federal Student Aid disbursements are first used to pay your tuition and fees. Any money left over is paid to you directly for other education-related expenses.

    For more information, visit https://studentaid.gov/complete-aid-process/receive-aid.

  • No, Pell Grants alone don't fully cover the tuition & fees. Most students either borrow Direct Loans or use a scholarship to pay the remaining balance.

Glossary

Award Year

A period from July 1 of one calendar year to June 30 of the next calendar year.

Academic Year

A full academic year is 900 clock hours.

  • Academic Year 1: 1-900 hours (900 clock hours)

  • Academic Year 2: 901-1500 hours (600 clock hours)

Scheduled Award

The maximum amount of Federal Pell Grant funding you would be able to receive for the award year if you were enrolled full-time for a full school year.