New Federal Pell Grant Policy
FEDERAL PELL GRANT: This is a grant from the Federal government and is available to students pursuing their first undergraduate degree. The maximum annual federal Pell Grant for 2009-2010 is $5,350 for undergraduate students enrolled on a full-time basis. The maximum amount can change each award year and depends on program funding. The amount you get will depend not only on your financial need, but also on your costs to attend school, your status as a full-time or part-time student, and your plans to attend school for a full academic year or less. The maximum scheduled Pell Grant award for the 2010-2011 award year is $5,550 for students enrolled on a full-time basis.
The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872) was passed on March 25, 2010 by a vote of 56-43 in the Senate and a vote of 220-207 in the House. The education provisions in the bill are similar to many provisions contained in the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA, H.R. 3221), which the House passed last fall. As a result there are new Pell Grant policies.
New Pell Grant Policies
Eligibility Limit and Disbursement
- Students who receive their first Pell Grant on or after July 1, 2008 may receive Pell Grants for as many as 18 semesters (or the equivalent)
- Effective July 1, 2010 students enrolled in an approved certificate or baccalaureate program may receive up to two Pell Grants in one award year to accelerate their program.
NOTE: This is new legislation. We continue to receive additional clarification and implementation guidance from the Department of Education.
Roxbury Community College offers summer sessions in an effort to be responsive to the needs of the student body. For the purposes of the federal Pell Grant program, the separate sessions are combined into one term, the non-standard summer terms.
The 2010 summer session will be attached to the 2009-2010 academic year. Students interested in receiving federal financial aid for summer must have completed the 2009-2010 Free Application for Federal Student Aid ("FAFSA"). Students would be eligible for summer aid, if they are matriculated in a degree granting or eligible certificate program. Initial summer aid eligibility will be calculated on the enrollment information that is reviewed at the time of packaging. A student’s award may be subject to revisions if there are enrollment changes.
If eligible, a student will be able to receive all or a portion of a second scheduled Pell Grant within an award year.
- For the First Scheduled Pell Grant Award, a student must
- Be Pell Grant eligible;
- Be enrolled at any enrollment status (full-time, 3/4 time, 1/2 time or less than 1/2 time);
- The amounts received will count toward the aggregate lifetime limit.
- To Qualify to Receive a Second Scheduled Award within the same award year, a student must :
- Continue to be Pell Grant eligible.
- Have received 100% of the First Scheduled Pell Grant Award;
- Be enrolled on at least a half-time basis
- The amounts received will count toward the aggregate lifetime limit;
Beginning with the 2010-2011 Award Year, the student must demonstrate academic year acceleration.
- At least one credit hour in the payment period when the award will be made from a Second Scheduled Award must be attributable to the student's next academic year.
- The student need not have completed a full academic year's worth of coursework prior to the payment period in which the second scheduled award funds are paid. For example, a student earned 9 credits in the fall semester and 9 credits in the spring semester. Since the Roxbury Community College uses 24 credits to define the academic year and places summer in the concluding award year, the student would need to enroll for more than 6 credits in the summer term to be paid funds out of the second scheduled award (6 credits to finish the first academic year's worth of work, plus some additional number of credits that count toward the second academic year). This student would be paid any remaining first scheduled award funds plus the amount of second scheduled award funds needed to make up the payment for the term as calculated under the appropriate Pell formula.
- Hours earned during the 2010 summer semester will count towards the acceleration calculation in all subsequent semesters.
Transfer Students
- If a student received 100% of the first Scheduled Award at their prior school, we will assume that the student completed an academic year.
- If a student received less than 100% of their first Scheduled Award, we will assume that the student completed the same ratio of the academic year (24 credit hours at Roxbury Community College as the percentage of the first Scheduled Award utilized at the prior school.
Impact on Future Summer Aid Awards
Starting with the 2011 Summer Semester: The new Pell Grant Regulations must be fully implemented starting with the 2011 summer semester. We will look at BOTH your 2010-2011 FAFSA AND your 2011-2012 FAFSA and utilize whichever year results in the HIGHEST Pell Grant award for summer. This means that currently enrolled students who are interested in accelerating their degree completion dates by taking summer courses should submit their FAFSAS before the May 1st priority application deadline.
The new regulations allow a student to receive funds from a second scheduled award within an award year if the student is enrolled for credit hours attributable to a second academic year within that award year. The student need not have completed a full academic year's worth of coursework prior to the payment period in which the second scheduled award funds are paid. Using the example again of the student who earned 9 credits in the fall semester and 9 credits in the spring semester. Since Roxbury Community College uses 24 credits to define the academic year and places summer in the concluding award year, the student would need to enroll for more than 6 credits in the summer term to be paid funds out of the second scheduled award (6 credits to finish the first academic year's worth of work, plus some additional number of credits that count toward the second academic year). This student would be paid any remaining first scheduled award funds plus the amount of second scheduled award funds needed to make up the payment for the term as calculated under the appropriate Pell formula.
In addition, at least one credit hour in the payment period when the award will be made from a second scheduled award must be attributable to the student'snextacademic year.
6/24/2010
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