Grants
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
FSEOG (Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant) is for undergraduates with exceptional financial need - that is, students with the lowest Expected Family Contributions ( EFCs ) - and gives priority to students who receive Federal Pell Grants. An FSEOG does not have to be repaid.The difference between the Federal Pell Grant and the FSEOG grant programs is that the U.S. Department of Education guarantees that each participating school will receive enough money to pay the Federal Pell Grants of its eligible students. There is no guarantee every eligible student will be able to receive a FSEOG; students at STC are paid based on the availability of funds, first applied, first complete basis.
Award Amounts and Disbursement
The STC Office of Financial Aid will award a student up to $400 per semester of Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants funds. Awards are disbursed directly to student accounts. If the disbursal of FSEOG funds results in the creation of a credit balance (funds in excess of the cost of tuition, fees, and other charges) the student will receive a check by mail or a direct deposit (if the student is enrolled in the direct deposit program) in accordance with U.S. Department of Education disbursement requirements and STC disbursement procedures.
Federal Pell Grants
A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, does not have to be repaid. Pell Grants are awarded only to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's or professional degree. ( A professional degree would include a degree in a field such as pharmacy or dentistry. ) For many students, Pell Grants provide a foundation of financial aid to which other aid may be added.
How do I qualify ?
To qualify for aid, you must apply. To apply for federal student aid (Federal Pell Grants, Federal SEOG Grants and Federal Work Study at STC) you must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Your eligibility for federal student aid is determined by a number that the U.S. Department of Education calculates based on the information that you provide when you complete the FAFSA. This number is called the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Your Student Aid Report SAR/ISIR contains this number and will tell you if you are eligible.
The formula used to calculate your EFC is established by law and is used to measure your family's financial strength on the basis of your family's income and assets.
If your EFC is below a certain amount, you'll be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, assuming you meet all other eligibility requirements. There isn't a maximum EFC that defines eligibility for the other financial aid programs. Instead, your EFC is used in the following equation to determine your financial need:
Cost of Attendance - Expected Family Contribution = Financial Need
Additional Eligibility Requirements for Federal Pell Grant
Enrollment Status
The U.S. Department of Education(DOE) requires that schools pro-rate Pell Grant eligibility based on a student's enrollment status. They number of credit hours that a student is enrolled in each semester determines their enrollment status. Below is a list of enrollment statuses:
· Full Time: 12 credit hours or more
· Three Quarter Time: 9 credit hours to 11 credit hours
· Half Time: 6 credit hours to 8 credit hours
· Less than Half Time: 5 credit hours or less
For example, in the 2005-2006 financial aid award year, a student who has a zero Expected Family Contribution (EFC) would receive the following awards in a semester at each status.
· Full Time: 12 credit hours or more: $2025.00
· Three Quarter Time: 9 credit hours to 11 credit hours $1,519.00
· Half Time: 6 credit hours to 8 credit hours $1,012.00
· Less than Half Time: 5 credit hours or less $ 257.00
Please note that as the student's EFC increases, the amount of Pell Grant funds that they are eligible to receive decreases. The example above is for the maximum amount that students may qualify for.
Attendance
The U.S. Department of Education requires that schools are able to document that students are actually in attendance to finalize their Federal Pell Grant eligibility. "If a student doesn't begin attendance in all of his or her classes, the school must recalculate the student's award based on the lower enrollment status. A student is considered to have begun attendance in all of his or her classes if the student attends at least one day of class for each course in which that student's enrollment status was determined for Federal Pell Grant eligibility."
South Texas College documents attendance for Federal Pell Grant purposes by collecting rosters form all instructors after census day. The instructors use the rosters to indicate whether a student has attended or not. Students must attend each class that they are enrolled in at least once between the first day of school and the census day of each term to be counted as being in attendance in that class for Federal Pell Grant eligibility purposes.
In cases where students do not attend class at least once, Federal Pell Grant eligibility will be adjusted based on the enrollment status for the number of credits that they are actually attending. If this adjustment results in a student not having sufficient grant funds to pay for any charges or advances that they have incurred or received, that student will be responsible to pay South Texas College for the difference between their adjusted eligibility and the original amount of the cost of their tuition and fees as well as any advances that the student received.
How will I be paid ?
STC will credit Pell Grant funds to your school account. If any funds are left over after the tuition, fees and any other institutional charges are paid, these funds will be disbursed to the student according to the STC disbursement schedule, and federal regulations. Students may recieve these funds either in the form of a check or by direct deposit.
How much money can I get ?
You can receive only one Pell Grant in an award year. How much you receive will depend not only on your EFC but on your cost of attendance, whether you are a full-time or part-time student, and whether you attend school for a full academic year or less. You may not receive Pell Grant funds from more than one school at a time.
Can I receive a Federal Pell Grant if I am enrolled less than half time ?
Yes, if you are otherwise eligible. You will not receive as much as if you were enrolled full time, but STC will disburse your Pell Grant funds in accordance with your enrollment status and cannot refuse you an awarded simply because your are enrolled less than half time.