Federal Pell Grants

The 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 the Pell Grant, you must apply through the Free Application of Federal Student Aid. 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 will 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. The number of credit hours that a student is enrolled in each semester determines his 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 200X-200Y 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: $2,025.00
  • 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 he is 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 a student does not attend class at least once, Federal Pell Grant eligibility will be adjusted based on the enrollment status for the number of credits that he/she is actually attending. If this adjustment results in student not having sufficient grant funds to pay for any charges or advances that he/she has incurred or received, that student will be responsible to pay South Texas College for the difference between his/her adjusted eligibility and the original amount of the cost of their tuition and fees as well as any advances that the student received.

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.