Pell Grant

The Pell Grant is the largest federal grant program and is usually the foundation of a student's financial aid package. It is free money from the federal government — you do not pay it back. Eligibility is determined by the federal government using the same formula for every applicant, based on the information you provide on your FAFSA. You cannot receive Pell funds from more than one school at the same time, and students who have already earned a Bachelor's Degree are not eligible.

Award Amount

The yearly maximum Pell Grant amount is set each year by the U.S. Department of Education. The amount you actually receive depends on four things: your financial need, your school's Cost of Attendance, whether you are enrolled full-time or part-time, and whether you plan to attend for a full academic year or less.

Your award is based on how many units you are enrolled in each semester:

• 12 or more units — 100% of the semester Pell amount
• 9 to 11 units — 75% of the semester Pell amount
• 6 to 8 units — 50% of the semester Pell amount

For example, if your full-time Pell award is $2,000 for the semester and you are only enrolled in 9 units, you would receive $1,500 instead — 75% of the full amount.

These rules apply to fall, spring, and summer. There are no exceptions. More information on Pell grants is available on the Department of Education's webpage.

Lifetime Eligibility

There is a limit to how much Pell Grant you can receive over your lifetime. The federal government tracks this using a percentage called Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU). The maximum is 600%, which is the equivalent of 12 full-time semesters. Each semester you receive Pell, a percentage is used based on how many units you are enrolled in. Part-time students use less per semester, so they may have eligibility remaining for longer. Students who receive Pell in summer may reach the limit sooner.

Once you reach 600%, you cannot receive any more Pell funding. There are no exceptions and no appeals. You also lose Pell eligibility the moment you earn a Bachelor's Degree — even if you have not reached 600%. To check how much eligibility you have remaining, log in at studentaid.gov with your FSA ID.

Planning to Transfer?

If you plan to transfer to a four-year school, you may want to save some of your Pell eligibility for later. You can decline your Pell Grant at SWC and still receive other aid such as the Cal Grant, CCPG, or Work-Study. To do this, fill out the Request to Cancel Aid form found under Additional Forms on the Financial Aid Forms page.

Year Round Pell (YRP)

If you are Pell-eligible, you may be able to receive an additional Pell payment in the summer. This is called the Year-Round Pell Grant. If you attended full-time in both fall and spring, you have used 100% of your scheduled Pell award for the year. If you enroll in summer, you may be eligible for up to an additional 50%, which brings your total for the year to 150% of your scheduled award.

Your summer Pell amount is based on how many units you are enrolled in — the more units you take, the more you receive. Your payment is calculated just before your aid is released based on your actual enrollment and remaining eligibility.

Keep in mind that summer Pell counts toward your lifetime eligibility (LEU). If you attended another school during the same award year and used some of your Pell eligibility there, it may affect what you can receive at SWC for summer.

Not sure how much summer Pell you may qualify for? Contact the Financial Aid Office to discuss your specific situation.