As long as I remain in good academic standing at my school, how long can I receive the Pell Grant for? Is there a limit in years, semesters, credit hours, or dollar amount of how much the government will pay? Thanks for your help!
2006-10-05 16:58:56 · 3 answers · asked by DustInCarroll 4 in Education & Reference ➔ Financial Aid
Yes, there is a limit to the amount of time that you can continue to receive any federal student aid, including Pell. This is because the "good academic standing" to which you refer isn't just an assessment of the *quality* of your work -- it's also a assessment of the *quantity* of your work (i.e. how many classes you're taking and, consequently, how long it will take you to earn your degree). For financial aid purposes, this qualitative + quantitative measurement is referred to as "Satisfactory Academic Progress" (or "SAP"). As far as financial aid eligibility is concerned, it's not really possible to maintain SAP if you're taking so few classes that you would need to stay in school for several extra years just to complete your program.
In a nutshell, here's how it works:
Your school has predetermined the average length of time that it takes for students in your program to complete their coursework. Sometimes this is measured in credit hours, sometimes in semesters, years, etc. Now, your school and the government certainly recognize that students sometimes need a little longer to finish, so the regulations allow for some extra time/credits (some failed classes, etc.).
However, they do have some pretty specific limits on how much time you have: for undergraduate students, the maximum time-frame cannot exceed 150% of the published length of the student's program. In other words, take the "official" length of your program (120 credits perhaps?) and multiply by 150%. If your school looks at your work (which they must) and determines that you can't mathematically complete your studies in this time, you will become ineligible for federal student aid.
Example: a Bachelor's Degree at Sample University is meant to be completed in 4 years (8 semesters). As long as you can complete the program within 12 semesters (8 semesters x 150% = 12 semesters), you can keep your financial aid (including Pell) the entire time. But if it takes you, say, 8 years to complete a four-year degree, you won't be able to receive Pell even if your work during those last two years is good-quality.
2006-10-06 06:40:11 · answer #1 · answered by FinAidGrrl 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
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RE:
How long can you continue to receive the Pell Grant?
As long as I remain in good academic standing at my school, how long can I receive the Pell Grant for? Is there a limit in years, semesters, credit hours, or dollar amount of how much the government will pay? Thanks for your help!
2015-08-18 23:55:29 · answer #2 · answered by Wonda 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There IS a credit hour limit with the Pell Grant.
2016-03-22 17:58:33 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
How long can you continue to receive the Pell Grant?
http://scholarshipfaqs.net
2016-03-01 11:09:29 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As long as you are in good standing and still eligible for aid (based on your EFC) expected family contribution then you will continue to be eligible for the pell grant. You may even want to talk to your school and see if you can get the FSEOG grant also... More money never hurt anyone, as long as you dont have to pay it back.
2006-10-06 06:15:31 · answer #5 · answered by spaz050201 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ummm..... I have been in school for my 8th semester now and they are paying for my 8th and 9th semesters. So they will pay at least through 5 years. If there is a limit it is by year or semester, but I don't think there is one.
2006-10-05 17:07:55 · answer #6 · answered by Kellen's Mom 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋