Federal Pell Grants are awarded based on the Student Aid Index (SAI) established by the U.S. Department of Education upon completion of the FAFSA; the schools cost-of-attendance, and the student's enrollment status (full time or part time). Federal Pell Grants are awarded only to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's degree.
To determine eligibility, the U.S. Department of Education uses a standardized formula to determine a student's Student Aid Index (SAI). SAI's can range from zero to 999,999. When a student completes a FAFSA they will be sent a Student Aid Report (SAR) that contains the SAI; information they inputted on their FAFSA; and any important comments that may need to be addressed with the school such as Verification, Selective Service, Loan Limits, etc. For the 2016-2017 school year full-time students with SAIs range from zero to 5,234 qualify for a Federal Pell Grant. Those with SAIs greater than 5,234 are not eligible for a Pell Grant but could be eligible for other types of aid. The Pell Grant awards for the 2016-2017 school year range from $299 to $5,815.
Please note: If a student decide to take summer classes and are Federal Pell Grant eligible they will be awarded a Federal Pell Grant based on their enrollment status. Those funds awarded in summer will reduce the amount of the student's spring semester award. To view more information please go to the Summer Financial Aid Page. PELL grant recipients with pending summer financial aid refunds can charge books at the University Bookstore until noon of June 10, 2016 up to the amount of their credit balances not to exceed $500 for the term.
You can view what your Pell eligibility will be based on your Student Aid Index (SAI) by visiting the Federal Student Aid website below:
Maximum Pell Eligibility
The Department of Education has established that students can only receive the Federal Pell Grant for the equivalent of 12 full time semester or 600%. This means a student that has received a Federal Pell grant that is equivalent to 12 full time semesters are no longer eligible to receive the Federal Pell Grant or any other Federal Grants even if they have not completed their first bachelor's degree. If this happens FAFSA will notify students via their Student Aid Report in the Comment Section and PennWest will update the student's account based on the information received by the Department of Education. PennWest highly encourages students to monitor the percentage and semesters of Federal Pell eligibility used through the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) at www.NSLDS.ed.gov