Pell Grant
What is it?
Federal Pell Grants, unlike loans, do not need to be repaid. This 'gift aid' is based on financial need and only for undergraduate students.
Who is eligible?
To be eligible for a Pell Grant, a student must
- Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or other eligible noncitizen.
- Have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent.
- Be admitted to BYU in a degree-seeking undergraduate program for a current or future enrollment period during the academic year.
- Be enrolled. (The credits must meet eligibility requirements.)
- Not already have a baccalaureate degree or pay graduate tuition.
- Meet all Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements
- Not be in default on a federal student loan or owe a refund on a federal grant for attendance at any institution.
- Meet financial need requirements as determined during application evaluation.
Please see the new Repeat Policy to see if you are eligible to receive federal financial aid.
Your eligibility for federal financial aid is subject to specific terms and conditions. We are required to follow federal regulations even if funding has already been awarded and/or disbursed when new information regarding your eligibility becomes available. If you are awarded financial aid and subsequently fail to maintain eligibility, or we become aware of additional information which affects our initial determination of your award eligibility, adjustments to your award may be required. If adjustments are necessary, you may be required to repay some or all of your funding. For more details, click here.
Beginning with the 2012-2013 aid year the amount of Pell Grant has been limited to six years of full-time eligibility received, with a lifetime eligibility of 600%. For more information on how the 600% is calculated, you may visit the U.S. Department of Education's website. This lifetime eligibility limit cannot be petitioned.
How do I apply?
Begin my submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), as indicated in Step 4. Then continue through the remaining steps as suggested.
When are the deadlines, and when will I know if I am a recipient?
| 2012-2013 Deadlines | ||
|---|---|---|
| Regarding | Deadline | Description |
| Priority Processing | May 1, 2012 | Recommended submission date for 2012–2013 FAFSA |
| FAFSA | June 30, 2013 OR your last date of 2012–2013 attendance, whichever comes first | Complete and correct FAFSA must be submitted for the 2012–2013 academic year |
| Verification | September 20, 2013 OR 120 days beyond the last day of your 2012–2013 attendance, whichever comes first | If selected, you must complete verification before you are awarded federal financial aid. Please check your To-Do List in My Financial Center and submit appropriate documents if requested. |
| Add/Drop Deadline | Fall 2012-September 10 Winter 2013-January 18 Spring 2013-May 7 Summer 2013-July 1 |
|
| Loan Process | Last day of class for semester/term. |
|
Please also see Dates and Deadlines for other significant dates and information.
You will know if you are eligible for a Pell Grant after Step 6 of your processing has been completed, including any follow-up "to do" items and messages, which can be found in My Financial Center. We begin awarding Federal Aid programs about mid-July for students who have completed their processing by that time. Processing can take anywhere from just a few days to several weeks, depending on student response to "to do" list items and messages, and how soon the coming semester will begin. Because of the volume of applications submitted in the weeks just prior to the beginning of the semester, processing time is significantly increased during those periods.
How much money can I get?
The maximum Pell Grant for 2011–2012 is $5,550. The fall/winter award amount is disbursed to the student over a period of two semesters. Unused eligibility can be used during the spring/summer terms. Disbursement amounts vary depending on the number of credit hours of enrollment as shown below.
| Pell Grant Disbursement Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Enrollment | Disbursement Amount* |
| 12+ credit hours | Full semester award amount |
| 9–11.5 credit hours | ~3/4 of semester award amount** |
| 6–8.5 credit hours | ~1/2 of semester award amount** |
| < 6 credit hours | ~1/4 of semester award amount** |
**EFCs greater than 3300 with disbursments amounts of less than $278 do not strictly follow 3/4, 1/2, and 1/4 ratios.
How and when will I get the money?
Your federal financial aid will be posted to your Student Account. It will credit toward your tuition and other charges. If money from your federal financial aid and other aid exceeds charges owed, Student Financial Services will refund any excess monies. The refund process begins approximately three days after the first day of classes, and continues until after the add/drop deadline.
If registered part-time, excess funds will remain in the Student Account until after the add/drop deadline, or until you verify with Student Services (801-422-4104) that no further registration changes will be made.
Excess funds will be sent to your bank account if you authorize direct deposit. If you do not authorize direct deposit, any excess funds will be mailed to the mailing address you have listed on myBYU. This may delay your receipt of funds.
