Grants

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 school’s cost-of-attendance, and the student's enrollment status. 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 FAFSA Submission Summar, formerly known as the Student Aid Report (SAR) that contains the SAI; information inputted on the FAFSA; and what you need to next to prepare to pa for school.

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 who has received a Federal Pell grant that is equivalent to 12 full time semesters is 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 FAFSA Submission Summary in the Comment Section and PennWest will update the student's aid package based on the information received from the Department of Education. PennWest highly encourages students to monitor their  Federal Pell eligibility by logging in to their StudentAid.gov account and access the “My Aid” section.

If you are a Pell Grant recipient with exceptional need, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) may help you even more. This grant is reserved for undergraduate students with the lowest Student Aid Indexes (SAIs). Preference is given to Pell Grant recipients who file their FAFSA before our first priority deadline of May 1. The FSEOG annual award typically ranges from $500 to $1,000, depending on funding levels.

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The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant provides funds for students who agree to teach four years in an elementary school, secondary school or educational service agency that serves students from low-income families.

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The Keystone Extraordinary Emergency Program (KEEP) provides immediate grants to struggling university students who are dropping out due to unexpected financial needs. The student success program is available to students at Commonwealth and PennWest universities.

KEEP Eligibility Requirements Program Design

The Keystone Extraordinary Emergency Program (KEEP) has specific eligibility requirements that any applicant must meet to be considered for approval for the KEEP grant award. These eligibility criteria are:

• Enrolled as a full-time or part-time undergraduate or graduate student
• Have a cumulative GPA of a 2.0 or higher
• Experiencing a documented financial crisis or hardship
• Exhausted all other federal and state financial resources, including loans.
• Must have a completed FAFSA for the current academic year.
• Applicants must demonstrate that the financial need is a one-time, unexpected expense, rather than a chronic financial need.
• Student is at risk of having to withdrawal as a result of their unexpected emergency circumstances.

If program eligibility requirements are met, students may be eligible to receive no more than $1,500 per any one award and may not exceed $3,000 in total across their enrollment at PennWest University. Students may only receive the KEEP grant 1x per academic year.

Note: if these eligibility criteria are not met by applicants, then the applicant will not be eligible to receive the KEEP grant under any circumstances.

If applicants present with a high need or crisis situation, but are deemed ineligible for the KEEP grant, alternative recommendations and referrals will be made as appropriate. Examples of potential alternative resources may include hardship funds, dire need funds, scholarships, or case management services to assist in obtaining community resources such as clothing vouchers, medical assistance, or SNAP.

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This program, funded by the state of Pennsylvania, provides need-based grant assistance to Pennsylvania residents. Students receive up to eight full-time semesters of PA State Grant assistance or 16 semesters of part-time assistance.

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