Federal Pell Grant

The Federal Pell Grant Program is administered by the U.S. Department of Education and is intended to be the "floor" of a financial aid package. For this reason, all students must apply for the Federal Pell Grant in order to be considered for other campus -based aid. This program is different from the other federal programs in that it is an entitlement program. This means that all students who are eligible will receive these awards. The Federal Pell Grant should be applied for as early as possible after January 1 of each year.

Although the student receives the Federal Pell Grant through the University, eligibility is determined by the U.S. Department of Education. Financial need is determined by an annual, congressionally approved, formula which is applied consistently to all applicants. The formula uses the information provided by the student and/or parent on the aid application to produce an Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is used, along with the total cost of attending the institution and the student's part-time or full-time enrollment status, to determine the actual amount of the Federal Pell Grant and other financial aid eligibility. For academic year 2017-2018, Federal Pell Grants will range from $592 to $5,920, depending upon the student's eligibility as determined by the congressionally approved standard formula.