Calculating Pell CHAPTER

3
Grant Awards
Pell Grant awards are based on the EFC on the student’s SAR or ISIR, the academic
year structure (see Chapter 1), and the student’s cost of attendance (see Chapter 2).
The scheduled award amounts are specified on the Payment Schedules released by the
Department prior to each award year. For term schools, awards for part-time students
are also based on enrollment status, using the part-time charts in the Pell Grant
Payment Schedules.

In this chapter, we’ll show you how to take the award amount for the year and
calculate Pell Grant payments for your students, using the appropriate formula for the
term or non-term calendar in the academic program.
CHAPTER 3 HIGHLIGHTS
SCHEDULED AWARD, AWARD YEAR,
& ANNUAL AWARD Pell Grant calculations for:
➔ Credit-hour term programs with fall through spring
The Scheduled Award is the maximum amount the student can
standard terms that provide 30+ weeks of instructional
receive during the award year, if he or she attends full time for a full
time (Formula 1)
academic year. The award year begins on July 1 of one year and ends ➔ Credit-hour term programs with fall through spring
on June 30 of the next year. For example, the 2004-2005 award year standard terms that provide less than 30 weeks of
begins July 1, 2004, and ends June 30, 2005. instructional time (Formula 2 or Formula 3)
➔ Credit-hour term programs with nonstandard terms
The student’s Scheduled Award is established by the Pell Grant (Formula 3)
Payment Schedule that the Department issues prior to the start of ➔ Clock hour programs and all other non-term credit-
each award year. The amount of the Scheduled Award is always hour programs (Formula 4)
taken from the Full-Time Payment Schedule, and is based on the ➔ Summer terms, crossover payment periods, and mini-
student’s EFC and Cost of Attendance. (The Payment Schedule is sessions
usually incorporated in Pell payment software, so awards can be ➔ Transfer students
➔ Recalculations (required and optional) when EFC,
calculated automatically -- a printed copy is included at the end of
cost, or enrollment status changes
this chapter for your reference.)

The Scheduled Award is a maximum that can’t be exceeded, even

if the student transfers to another school or attends for a period
longer than one academic year during the award year. For example, if
a full-time student attends Fall and Spring semesters, and those
Scheduled Award Limit
terms encompass an academic year, the student would have no 34 CFR 690.63(g)
remaining eligibility in that award year for a summer term.
(However, you can use the student’s Pell Grant eligibility for the
coming award year to pay a student for a summer term or other Appendices
crossover payment period, as described later in this chapter.) Appendix A - Formula 2: Calculations for standard-term
programs with less than 30 weeks in fall through spring
Appendix B - Formula 5: Calculations for correspondence
The annual award is the maximum amount a student would
study programs
receive during a full academic year for a given enrollment status,
Appendix C - Formula summaries for all five Pell formulas
EFC, and COA. Note that for a full-time student, the annual award
will be the same as the Scheduled Award.

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Vol. 3 — Calculating Awards and Packaging, 2004-05
Multiple award provision At a term school, a part-time student will have an annual award
The law and regulations allow for the possibility of a second that is less than the Scheduled Award. If the student attends part-
Scheduled Award during an award year under certain
time, the student’s annual award is taken from the 3/4-time, 1/2-
conditions, subject to available funding. If funds are
time, or less-than-1/2-time disbursement schedules.
available, we will inform you through a Federal Register
notice and electronic announcement.
HEA Sec. 401(A)(6), 34 CFR 690.67
For instance, if a student’s Scheduled Award is $4,050, but the
student is enrolled as a 1/2-time student in a term program, the
student’s annual award would only be $2,025.
Enrollment status under consortium
agreement
The enrollment status of a student attending more than one
school under a consortium agreement is based on all the Full-Time Payment Schedule Half-Time Disbursement Schedule
Expected Family Contribution Expected Family Contribution
courses taken that apply to the degree or certificate at the Cost 0 500 1000 1500 2500 3000
Cost 0 500 1000 1500 2500 3000
home institution. The disbursing school may have to make 1,000 1,000
some adjustments if the coursework at the different schools is 2,000 2,000
measured in different units. 3,000 3,000
$4,500 + 4050 $4,500 + 2025

The annual award is for a full academic year, and must be

Enrollment status for cooperative divided into payments for the payment period using the formulas
education described in this chapter. Note that if a student only attended half
In a cooperative education program, your school assesses the of an academic year, the student could receive no more than one-
work to be performed by the student and determines the
half of the annual award.
equivalent academic course load. The student’s enrollment
status is based on the equivalent academic course load.
TERMS AND PAYMENT METHODS
Generally, if all the coursework can be completed within a
Consortium Different Units Example
Chris is taking 6 semester hours at Hart University, the home
specific time frame, the program can be considered term-based.
institution, and 9 quarter hours at Sarven Technical Institute. Term-based programs can have either standard terms or
To determine his enrollment status, Hart needs to convert nonstandard terms. Pell Grants are calculated differently for the two
the hours at Sarven into semester hours. Because a quarter types of terms.
hour is about two-thirds of a semester hour, Hart multiplies
the number of quarter hours by two-thirds: Standard terms
Standard terms are semesters, trimesters, or quarters, as these
9 quarter hours X 2/3 = 6 semester hours words are traditionally used. In traditional usage, an individual
semester or trimester provides about 15 weeks of instructional time
Then the hours taken at both schools can be added together: and full time is defined as at least 12 semester or trimester hours.
The program’s academic calender generally consists of three terms,
6 semester hrs. at Hart
one each in fall, spring, and summer. In traditional usage of the
+ 6 semester hrs. at Sarven
12 semester hours
term “quarter,” an individual quarter provides about 10 to 12 weeks
of instructional time, and full time is defined as at least 12 quarter
Linda is also taking 6 semester hours at Hart University and hours. The program’s academic calendar generally includes three
9 quarter hours at Sarven Technical Institute, but her home quarters in the fall, winter, and spring and often a summer quarter
institution is Sarven Technical Institute. Because Sarven is as well.
paying her, it needs to convert the semester hours taken at
Hart into quarter hours: Non-standard terms
Any term that isn’t one of the standard terms described above is
6 semester hours X 3/2 = 9 quarter hours a nonstandard term. Nonstandard term has sometimes been used to
refer only to terms on unequal length, but under this definition
Then, the hours taken at both schools can be added
terms of equal length can be nonstandard terms.
together:

9 quarter hrs. at Sarven

+9 quarter hrs. at Hart
18 quarter hours

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 Ch. 3 — Calculating Pell Grant Awards

Non-term programs Academic calendar &

If a program is not designed to be completed within a set enrollment status changes
Because the academic calendar for a program determines
amount of time, it is likely a non-term program. There are two main
which Pell formula you use, you need to review the
types of non-term program, clock hours and non-term credit hours.
conditions for the use of each formula if the calendar for
the program changes. This is particularly true if you are
using Formulas 1 and 2, since they have the most
restrictive conditions.
If a student’s enrollment status changes during the year, your
school may have to recalculate the student’s Pell Grant
payment based on the new enrollment status. At the end of
this chapter we’ll discuss when a school is required to
recalculate due to a change in enrollment status.
34 CFR 690.63

Ground rules for Pell calculations

Fractions
When using fractions, be careful to multiply first, and then divide to avoid an incorrect result. For example, here’s the correct
way to prorate a $2,130 Scheduled Award for a payment period that is a nonstandard term of 10 weeks of instructional
time.
10 $2,130 x 10
$2,130 X 30
is multiplied as = 710
30
In this case, if you divided the fraction to get a decimal (300/900 =.333333...) and then round the decimal either down (.33) or
up (.34), your calculation will result in a number that’s too low (703) or too high (724).
Rounding
Previously, schools were required to round to the nearest dollar when making disbursements. However, the Common
Origination and Disbursement System (COD) accepts cents in payment amounts. Schools are not required to round
disbursements to the nearest dollar, but can if they choose. Your school’s policy of rounding, whether to the
nearest dollar or cent, must be applied consistently to all students. See Volume 4, Chapter for more on the COD reporting
requirements. Note that COD has very specific format requirements for payment amounts.

When rounding disbursements, round up if the decimal is .50 or higher; round down if it’s less than .50. For instance, if a
calculation results in a payment of $516.50, round up to $517. If the calculation result is $516.49, round down to $516.

If you’re rounding disbursements for a student who is expected to be enrolled for more than one payment period in the award
year, you have to alternate rounding up and rounding down to ensure that the student receives the correct amount for the year.
For example, if a student had a Scheduled Award of $1,025 to be paid in two payment periods, the first payment would be $513
(rounded up from $512.50), and the second payment would be $512 (rounded down to ensure that the student isn’t overpaid
for the year).

The same principle applies when there are three or more payment periods in the award year. For instance, if the student has a
Scheduled Award of $1,100 and enrolls as a full-time student at a school using quarter terms, the payment for each term
would come to $366.66. If the school is rounding disbursements, the first two payments would be rounded up to $367, and the
last payment would be rounded down to $366 to reach the total of $1,100.

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Basic Pell calculations CREDIT-HOUR TERM-BASED PROGRAMS
Pell payment schedules: 34 CFR 690.62 (FORMULAS 1 - 3)
Pell formulas: 34 CFR 690.63
“Crossover” payment periods (e.g. summer sessions):
The first three Pell Grant formulas are for term-based programs.
34 CFR 690.64

Annual award based on enrollment status

Variations in enrollment status standards In a term-based program, academic progress is always measured
If a program uses standard terms, the enrollment status
in credit hours, and the student’s annual award depends on his/her
standards in the program don’t have to be
proportional—for instance, a program could have a 15-
enrollment status. Your school’s standards for enrollment status must
hour standard for full-time enrollment, but set a 9-hour meet the minimum regulatory requirements, which are discussed in
minimum for 3/4-time status and a 6-hour minimum for further detail in Volume I: Student Eligibility (Chapter 1).
1/2-time status.
For standard terms, the enrollment standards are:
In addition, your school’s academic standard may differ from Full-time: 12 semester hours per semester/trimester
the enrollment standard used by the financial aid office for 12 quarter hours per quarter
FSA purposes. For example, your school may define full time 3/4-time: 9 semester hours per semester/trimester
as six hours during the summer; however, the financial aid 9 quarter hours per quarter
office uses 12 hours as full time for all terms including the 1/2-time: 6 semester hours per semester/trimester
summer term.Your school must apply its FSA enrollment
6 quarter hours per quarter
standards consistently to all students enrolled in the same
Less than 1/2-time: less than half of the
program of study for all FSA purposes.
34 CFR 668.2
workload of the minimum full-time requirement.

For nonstandard term/enrollment standards, see p. 3-22. If the

student is enrolled full-time, then the annual award is the
Including remedial coursework in Scheduled Award, which is based on the full-time Payment
enrollment status Schedule.
When figuring enrollment status, your school must include
any reduced-credit or noncredit remedial coursework
designed to increase the student’s ability to pursue his or her
If the student is attending part-time, you must use the 3/4- time,
program of study. See the discussion of “Enrollment 1/2-time, or less than 1/2-time disbursement schedules, depending
Status” in Volume I: Student Eligibility (Chapter 1). on the number of credit hours in which the student enrolls. If the
student is enrolled less-than-half-time, it will also affect the cost
components that are used in the student’s Budget (See Chapter 2).
Schools do not have the discretion to refuse to pay an eligible part-time student.
Alternate schedules for low tuition costs
On the appropriate full-time or part-time Payment or
Use the alternate schedules to look up the annual award for
Disbursement schedules, use the student’s Cost of Attendance and
students whose:
EFC to look up the Pell amount for the year at that enrollment
• Tuition plus dependent care and/or disability expenses are
status. This is the annual award. Most student aid software
less than $675 (based on full-time full-year costs),
programs, such as EDExpress, will do this for you automatically, but
• Total cost of attendance is $3,400 or higher, and
we have included a printed version of the 04-05 schedules at the
• EFC is 700 or less.
end of this chapter for your reference.
In addition, the law now specifically provides that schools
that charged only fees in lieu of tuition as of October 1, 1998, Pell Grant payments by term
can count those fees as tuition for this calculation. Pell Grants must be paid in installments over the course of a
program of study to help meet the student’s cost in each payment
period. The payment period affects when Pell funds are disbursed
and the exact amount to be disbursed. For credit-hour term
programs, the payment period is the term. If the student doesn’t
enroll in one of the terms, he/she won’t receive the portion of the
award for that payment period. If the student’s enrollment status
changes in the next term, his/her annual award will be different.
(See discussion of payment periods and standard/nonstandard

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 Ch. 3 — Calculating Pell Grant Awards

terms in Chapter 1 if you are unsure of the payment periods in your Requirements to be able to use Formula 1
program.) 34 CFR 690.63(b)

FORMULA 1 : STANDARD TERM PROGRAMS

WITH ACADEMIC CALENDARS OF 30+ WEEKS

For you to be able to use Formula 1, the program:

Alternate calculation
• must have an academic calendar that consists of standard If your school has a summer term, you may wish to use an
terms--two semesters or trimesters, or three quarters, alternate calculation that spreads the award over the
summer term as well.
• must have at least 30 weeks of instructional time

• must not have overlapping terms, and

Standard term composed of shorter
• must define full-time enrollment for each term in the award terms or modules
Remember that you can combine shorter terms or
year as at least 12 credit hours.
modules into a standard term that meets the
requirements for Formula 1. See the discussion of
The most common Pell Grant calculation is for standard term academic calendars in Chapter 1 for examples.
programs that provide at least 30 weeks of instructional time in the
fall through spring terms. Remember that a program must use
credit hours to measure progress -- if the program uses clock hours,
you must always use Formula 4 to calculate Pell Grant awards. The
nice thing about Formula 1 is that it’s very simple. The term is the
payment period, and you divide the student’s award by the number
of terms in the program’s academic year.

Formula 1: Basic Calculation

To qualify for Formula 1, the program must use standard terms and have an academic year of 2 semesters or trimesters, or
3 quarters, and full-time enrollment must be at least 12 credit hours. In Formula 1, the annual award is simply divided by
the number of terms in the fall through spring.

Take the case of Jeff, who is enrolled full-time in a program that has an academic year of 30 weeks of instructional time
and 24 semester hours. The program has Fall and Spring semesters that provide a total of 30 weeks of instruction and a
12 week summer nonstandard term with 12 semester hours as full-time. Jeff has a Scheduled Award of $3,000, and since
he is enrolled full-time, that is also his annual award.

$3,000
2
= $1,500 disbursement for each payment period

The same formula would be used if Jeff enrolled in a program that has Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters that provide at
least 30 weeks of instruction. The only difference is that Jeff’s annual award of $3,000 is divided by 3.

$3,000
3 = $1,000 disbursement for a quarter
Note that Jeff is receiving a full Scheduled Award because he is attending for two terms as a full-time student and has no
remaining eligibility for the summer payment period included in the award year . In subsequent examples, we’ll show
other situations where a student might have remaining eligibility for a summer term, or can be paid for the summer
term out of the Scheduled Award for the next award year.

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Example of enrollment status change

Let’s say that one of your students, Micki, enrolls full-time in the fall semester. She has a cost of $10,000 and EFC of 100, so
her Scheduled Award, taken from the full-time Payment Schedule, is $4,000. Since she’s attending full-time, this is also her
annual award. If your school defines its academic year as 30 weeks of instructional time and 24 semester hours, Micki’s
annual award is divided by 2 to arrive at the disbursement for the fall semester.

$4,000
2
= $2,000 for Fall
Micki decides that a full-time schedule is too ambitious, so she enrolls in the Spring term as a 3/4-time student. Her EFC is
the same, and even though her tuition is slightly less, the Pell award is still based on full-time costs. However, her annual
award is now based on the 3/4-time disbursement schedule, so her Spring payment will be less than her Fall payment.

$3,000
= $1,500 for Spring
2

Note that Micki’s Scheduled Award is still $4,000, and she has only received $3,500. This means that she is still eligible for up to
$500 in Pell funds from this award year if she attends a summer term. (We’ll discuss other summer term payment options later in
this chapter.)

Formula 1: Alternate calculation

If you’re working with a standard-term program that meets the rules for Formula 1, the regulations give you an option to
divide the annual award by the number of all the terms (including the summer term) in the award year. Schools that use this
alternate calculation have programs where full-time students attend year round. The alternate calculation ensures that
students get Pell payments in all terms in the award year. The disadvantage is that a student who misses one of the terms
(such as a summer term), won’t get a full Scheduled Award for that year.
34 CFR 690.63(b)(3)(ii)

If you choose to use this alternate calculation, you must:

• use the alternate calculation for all students enrolled in the same program of study,
• use the alternate calculation for all payment periods in the award year,
• increase the number of weeks of instructional time in the academic year defined for the student’s program to include the
number of weeks of instructional time in the summer term, and
• include the costs for the additional term in the Pell cost of attendance.

Your school may also include the number of credit hours for the additional term in your definition of the academic year for the
student’s program.

For example: Kevin enrolls as a full-time student in a 2-year associate degree program at Ivers College (IC).The academic calendar
consists of two 15-week semesters. The program also has a summer semester that is the same length.

IC decides to use the alternate calculation to distribute the award over all three terms, as its students attend full-time throughout
the award year. IC defines the academic year as 36 semester hours and 44 weeks of instructional time (both the weeks and the
credit hours for the summer term are included in the academic year). Kevin’s Scheduled Award is $3,600. He’s attending full-
time, and so his annual award is the same. Using the alternate calculation, ICC divides the annual award by the payment
periods in the award year.

$3,600
3
= $1,200 disbursement for term

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 Ch. 3 — Calculating Pell Grant Awards

FORMULA 3: GENERAL FORMULA FOR ANY TERM- When to use Formula 3

BASED PROGRAM ➔ If a term program uses non-standard terms, you
must use Formula 3 for Pell calculations.
Any term-based program may use this formula for Pell
➔ If a term program or has an academic year that
calculations, but you must use this formula for certain types of term
provides less than 30 weeks of instructional time, you
programs, for instance, a program that uses only nonstandard
may be required to use Formula 3, unless the program
terms. qualifies for Formula 2 (see below).
➔ Any term program can opt to use Formula 3.
To calculate the payment for the term, you must prorate the However, standard term programs that qualify for
annual award that you looked up on the appropriate Pell Grant Formula 1 generally prefer to use that formula because it
Payment or Disbursement Schedule. Unlike the term calculation in predates the other formulas and is simpler.)
Formula 1, the annual award can’t simply be divided evenly among
the terms. Instead, you must multiply the annual award by a fraction
that represents the weeks of instructional time in the term divided
by the weeks of instructional time in the program’s academic year. Lump Sum Payment and the 50%
Requirement
If the initial disbursement for the payment period occurs
weeks* in term after half of the weeks of instructional time have passed
weeks* in academic year (at least 30) during the payment period, you can make a lump-sum
disbursement of the full payment for the payment period.
If the resulting amount is more than 50% of the annual award,
EXAMPLE: Your school has a program that must use
your school must make the payment in at least two disbursements in
Formula 3. The program has 3 terms with 17, 14, and 6
that payment period regardless of whether the term is a standard
weeks of instructional time and defines its academic year
term or a nonstandard term. A single disbursement for a payment as 30 weeks of instructional time and 24 semester hours.
period can never be more than 50% of the annual award. You may Debbie is attending half-time for all three terms. Her
not disburse more than 50% of the annual award until the student has payments for each payment period are 17/30, 14/30, and
completed half of the weeks of instructional time in the program’s 6/30 of her half-time annual award. Her award for the
academic year definition. 2nd and 3rd terms may be disbursed in a single
disbursement. For the first term, you may disburse 15/30
Enrollment status standards for nonstandard terms of her award at the beginning of the term and the final
If you are using Formula 3 for a program that has standard 2/30 only after the 15th week of instructional time in the
terms, the minimum enrollment standards previously discussed term. If Debbie establishes eligibility in the 16th week of
would still apply for the standard terms. However, if the program the term, you can make a lump-sum disbursement of 17/
30 of the annual award at that time.
uses non-standard terms, the enrollment standard must be calculated
for the nonstandard terms:

The full-time enrollment status is determined for a non-standard Regulatory citations

term based on the length of the term in relation to the academic Formula 3 described: 34 CFR 690.63(d)
year. Enrollment status for nonstandard terms:
34 CFR 690.63(d)(1)(ii)
Disbursement cannot exceed 50% of annual award:
34 CFR 690.63(f)
Credit hours in weeks* in non-standard term
X weeks* in academic year (at least 30)
academic year
Fractions
Remember when using fractions, multiply first, and then
If the resulting number isn’t a whole number, it is rounded up to divide. Dividing the fraction first to produce a decimal can
cause an error if you need to round the decimal up or down.
the next whole number, for example, 3.3 is rounded up to 4.

*These fractions use weeks of instructional time as defined in Chapter 1, which are not necessarily be
the same number as the calendar weeks in an academic year. 34 CFR 690.63(d)(1)(ii)

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Vol. 3 — Calculating Awards and Packaging, 2004-05

After your school has determined the number of credit hours

required for full-time enrollment, your school can then determine
the less-than-full-time status for the nonstandard term using the
following formula:

Credit hours student takes in the nonstandard term

Credit hours required for full-time enrollment in the nonstandard term

Formula 3: Payments for standard terms

Hope College has a semester-based program with a 2-semester academic calendar that comprises 28 weeks of
instructional time. The program’s academic year is defined as 24 semester hours and 30 weeks of instructional time. If
both semesters are 14 weeks in length, the Pell payment for a full-time student with a Scheduled Award of $4,050
would be calculated as follows:

14 weeks* in term
30 weeks* in academic year
X $4050 = $1,890

Formula 3: Payments for non-standard

terms of equal length
Just a few miles down Rio Road from Hope, Crosby University has a program that consists of four 8-week terms. Crosby
University defines the academic year as 40 quarter hours and 32 weeks of instructional time. Because this program
does not use standard terms (semesters, trimesters, or quarters), Crosby University must use Formula 3 to calculate Pell
disbursements for students in the program. Let’s use the example of a student who attends all four terms for 10
quarter hours each term in the 2004-05 award year, and has a Scheduled Award of $3,700.

Because the program has nonstandard terms, Crosby University must determine the number of credit hours required
for full time enrollment in each term, as follows:

8 weeks* in term
32 weeks* in academic year X 40 quarter hours = 10 quarter hours

A student enrolled for 7 hours could be paid as a half-time student (7/10 = .7, which is less than 3/4 [.75] but greater
than 1/2 [.5] ) Since the student in our example will be enrolled for 10 hours each term, she is a full-time student and
her annual award is the same as her Scheduled Award. This is a term-based, credit-hour program, so the payment period
is the term.

To determine the student’s payment for each payment period, multiply her annual award by the length of the non-
standard term compared to the length of the academic year:

8 weeks* in term
32 weeks* in academic year
X $3,700 = $925

*These fractions use weeks of instructional time as defined in Chapter 1, which will not necessarily be the same number as the
calendar weeks in an academic year.

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 Ch. 3 — Calculating Pell Grant Awards

Formula 3: Payments for non-standard

terms of unequal length

Owen is enrolled in a semester-hour program at Hart University that has a 10-week nonstandard term between two 12-week
nonstandard terms. The terms do not overlap. The academic year for the program is defined as 34 weeks of instructional time and
24 semester hours. Hart must use formula 3 to calculate Pell Grant payments for students in this program. Owen’s Scheduled
Award is $2,800. He enrolls for 6 semester hours in the first and third terms and 3 semester hours in the second term. Because the
program has nonstandard terms, Hart must determine the number of credit hours required for full-time enrollment in each term, as
follows. For the first and third term:

12 weeks* in term
34 weeks* in academic year X 24 semester hours = 8.47 (round up to 9)

For the second term:

10 weeks* in term
34 weeks* in academic year X 24 semester hours = 7.06 (round up to 8)

A student must enroll in 9 semester hours (rounded up from 8.47) in the first and third terms, and 8 semester hours (rounded up from
7.06) in the second term, to be full-time. Owen is enrolled half-time in the first and third terms (6 semester hours/9 semester hours
= .67). He is enrolled three-quarter-time in the second term (6 semester hours/8 semester hours =.75). The cost of attendance
does not need to be prorated because the fall through spring terms provide the same number of weeks of instructional time as in
the academic year definition. Further, the school has determined the costs for a full-time student for a full academic year.

Based on a cost of attendance of $8,745 and an EFC of 1214, the half-time disbursement schedule shows that Owen is eligible for an
annual award of $1,400. Because this is a term-based credit-hour program, the payment period is the term. To calculate Owen’s
payment for the first and third terms, the school uses the fraction 12/34:

12 weeks* in term
34 weeks* in academic year X $1,400 = $494.12

Owen’s payment for each of the first and third terms will be $494.12.

Since Owen’s enrollment status for the middle term is three-quarter-time, the payment for that term is based on a full-time annual
award of $2,100. To calculate the payment for the one-month middle term, the school uses the fraction 4/34:

10 weeks* in term
34 weeks* in academic year X $2,100 = $617.65

Owen’s payment for the middle term (the second payment period) is $617.65

*These fractions use weeks of instructional time as defined in Chapter 1, which will not necessarily be the same number as the
calendar weeks in an academic year.

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Requirements for using Formula 4 FORMULA 4: CLOCK HOUR AND NON-TERM CREDIT-
All non-term programs must use Formula 4, including all HOUR PROGRAMS
clock hour programs and non-term programs that
measure progress in credit hours.
Checking 1/2-time enrollment status
For clock-hour programs and for credit-hour programs without
Formula 4: 34 CFR 690.63(a) and (e)
terms, enrollment status only makes a difference if the student is
attending less than half time. If that’s the case, only certain
Enrollment status standards for clock hour
and other non-term programs components of the cost of attendance are used. (See discussion in
For non-term programs, the enrollment minimums are: Chapter 2.) A student attending less than 1/2-time is not eligible
for a Stafford or PLUS Loan.
Full-time in credit hours: 24 semester hours, 24 trimester
hours, or 36 quarter hours per academic year. The annual award for a student in a clock-hour or non-term
Less than 1/2-time status is defined as less than half of credit-hour program is taken from the full-time Payment Schedule,
the workload of the minimum full-time requirement. even if the student is attending less than full-time. This requirement
includes using the full-time Payment Schedule for certain low-cost
Full-time in clock hours: at least 24 clock hours per students (see sidebar on p. 3-19).
calendar week.
Calculating payment amounts
Pell Grants must be paid in installments over the course of the
academic year or program of study to help meet the student’s cost
in each payment period. The payment period determines when Pell
funds are disbursed and the exact amount to be disbursed. You
must use the rules that discussed in Chapter 1 to determine the
payment periods for clock hour and non-term credit-hour
programs.

In non-term programs, the student’s Pell award is not reduced

for part-time enrollment unless the student is enrolled less than
half-time in which case the student’s cost of attendance must be
adjusted. However, if the program is less than an academic year (in
Coursework completion requirement & either clock/credit hours or weeks of instructional time), students
withdrawal/re-entry enrolled in that program won’t receive a full Scheduled Award. A
Note that students in non-term programs must
student may also receive less than a Scheduled Award in an award
successfully complete a payment period to receive
subsequent payments. This will be discussed in Volume 4
year, if the program crosses award years and the student’s Pell Grant
as one of the disbursement rules. award in one of the award years is for a portion of the program that
We’ll discuss the effect of withdrawal and re-entry into a is less than a full academic year.
program in Volume 5.
As in the case of the other formulas, you must perform
comparable prorations of the award for each payment period in the
student’s program. The calculation for the payment period prorates
a student’s Scheduled Award based on weeks of instructional time
most full-time students are attending and the credit/clock hours in
the payment period as the compare to the defined academic year.
The first step in determining the payment for a payment period
involves prorating the Scheduled Award by the least of:

Weeks* for a full-time student to complete hours in program

Weeks in program’s academic year (at least 30)
or

One
*These fractions use weeks of instructional time as defined in Chapter 1, which are not necessarily the
same number as the calendar weeks in an academic year.
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 Ch. 3 — Calculating Pell Grant Awards

Note that the result of this multiplication won’t ever be greater

than the Scheduled Award. Because the Scheduled Award is the
amount for a full-time student, the numerators of the fractions use
the weeks of instructional time needed for most full-time students to
complete the lesser of the hours in the program or academic year.
You must determine the weeks of instructional time it takes most
full-time students to complete the hours in the program or the
academic year.

The next step is to take into account the clock/credit hours in

the payment period. To account for the hours, you must multiply
the result of the first step by the following fraction, the result of
which is the payment for the payment period.:

Clock/credit hours in the payment period

Clock/credit hours in the program’s academic year

Payments for credit-hour non-term program (Formula 4)

Evers is enrolled at Tinkers Technical Institute (TTI) and has a Scheduled Award of $3,900. His program is 24 quarter hours and most full-time
students complete the program in 20 weeks of instructional time. The academic year for the program is defined as 36 quarter hours and 30 weeks of
instructional time.TTI has established two payment periods of 12 quarter hours each for Evers’ program. To determine the disbursement for the
payment period, TTI must first multiply the Scheduled Award by a fraction representing the proportion of weeks of instructional time for most
full-time students to complete the hours in the program:

20 weeks* in program
30 weeks* in academic year X $3,900 = $2,600
TTI then multiplies the result by a fraction representing the proportion of credit hours for the payment period compared to the academic year:

12 quarter hours in payment period

36 quarter hours in academic year X $2,600 = $866.67

Evers’ payment for the first payment period will be $866.67. Evers can receive this payment when he begins the program. Because students don’t earn
any of the 24 quarter hours in the program until they complete the entire program, TTI can make the payment of $866.67 for the second payment
period after Allen has completed half of the academic coursework of the program and the tenth week of instructional time of the program.

Chance is enrolled in a 650-clock-hour program at Tinkers Technical Institute and is eligible for a Scheduled Award of $2,150. Most of the students
in the program finish it within 27 weeks of instructional time. TTI defines the academic year for the program based on the regulatory minimums:
900 clock hours and 30 weeks of instructional time. To calculate Chance’s payment, TTI calculates the payment for each payment period as
follows:

Payments for clock-hour program (Formula 4)

27 weeks* in program X $2,150 = $1,935 *These fractions use weeks of
30 weeks* in academic year instructional time as defined in Chapter 1,
which are not necessarily be the same
number as the calendar weeks in an
325 clock hrs in payment period X $1,935 = $698.75
academic year.
900 clock hours in academic year

Chance’s payment for the first payment period will be $698.75. She can get this payment when she begins the program. She can receive her
second payment of $698.75 after she completes the 325 clock hours in the first payment period.

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Vol. 3 — Calculating Awards and Packaging, 2004-05

FORMULA 5: CORRESPONDENCE STUDY

Formulas 5A & 5b are formulas that must be used for
correspondence students. Less than 1/10% of Pell Grants are made to
correspondence students; therefore, the formula for correspondence
study programs is covered in Appendix B of this chapter.

Scheduled Award limit and crossover

payment periods SUMMER TERMS & OTHER
In most cases, the Pell Grant calculations assure that a “CROSSOVER PAYMENT PERIODS”
student doesn’t receive more than a Scheduled Award, but Payment periods don’t always fall neatly into one award year or
for some students, you will need to check the student’s another. A new award year starts every July 1. When a payment
remaining eligibility before paying the student. In particular, period falls into two award years—that is, it begins before July 1 and
if the student is attending more than an academic year’s ends on July 1 or later—it’s called a “crossover payment period.”
worth of courses in the same award year, the student could
run out of eligibility for Pell. This most commonly happens
The formula for calculating the payment for a crossover payment
with summer terms or crossover payment periods.
period is the same as that for any other payment period in the award
34 CFR 690.64
year. However, you must check the student’s remaining eligibility if a
student has already received payments for previous payment periods
Alternate calculation that includes in the award year and the crossover period is assigned to the earlier
summer term award year.
As noted earlier, if you’re working with a standard-term
program that meets the rules for Formula 1 or Formula 2,
Payment from either award year
you may divide the annual award by the number of all the
You can make a payment for a crossover payment period out of
terms (including the summer term) in the award year. The
advantages and disadvantages of this approach were
either award year, if the student has a valid output document for the
discussed in the examples accompanying Formula 1. award year selected. However, if more than six months of the payment
period are in a given award year, the Pell payment must be made from
that award year.

The decision about which award year to use is usually based on the
student’s remaining eligibility in the earlier award year. You can assign
the crossover payment period to either award year, on a student-by-
student basis—you do not have to attribute the crossover period to a
particular award year for all students. For instance, if a student had
already been paid for two semesters as a full-time student for a full 30-
week academic year in the 2004-2005 award year, the student would
have been paid a full Scheduled Award for that year. In this case you
might choose to pay the student for the crossover payment period
out of the 2005-06 award year, provided the student is eligible for
Pell based on a SAR or ISIR for that year (if the student attended
part-time or didn’t attend for a full academic year, the student might
be eligible for at least a portion of the normal disbursement from
the 2004-2005 award year for the crossover period).

You may also attribute the crossover payment period to a

particular award year for all of students enrolled in that period. For
instance, you could attribute your summer session to the 2004-05
award year for the purposes of all Pell payments for that period.
However, if you attribute the crossover period to the 04-05 award
year for all students, you must pay Pell awards to all students
enrolled in that payment period who have remaining Pell eligibility
in the 04-05 award year.

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 Ch. 3 — Calculating Pell Grant Awards

Term schools: using the right formula for summer session

If your school offers a summer term in addition to Fall through
Spring terms that qualify for Formula 1 or 2, you will calculate the
student’s payment for the summer term using the same Formula that
you used to calculate payments for the other terms in the award year
to which the summer term is assigned. If you use Formula 3 for Pell
Grant calculations in any of the terms in an award year, then you must
use Formula 3 for all terms in that program that occur in that award
year, including the fall through spring terms. (Note that if your
program is a standard term program in the fall through spring and
does not define full-time enrollment in the summer as at least 12
credit hours, you must use Formula 3 for Pell calculations.)

With regard to enrollment status, your school must apply its

definition of full-time status for the summer term consistently for all
FSA program purposes.

The cost of attendance for summer terms

Costs for summer terms are figured in the same way as for any
other payment period; that is, the costs are based on a full academic
year. If your school has fall and spring semesters that comprise an
academic year, you can’t add the costs for the summer term to the
costs for the fall and spring semesters. The award for the summer term
is still based on the costs for one academic year. However, if the
academic year definition includes the summer term, then the costs for
the summer term must be included in the cost for a full academic year.

Scheduled Award limit for summer term

Peter enrolls three-quarter time in the fall, spring, and summer terms at Hildebrand University. His Scheduled Award is
$3,000 and his three-quarter time annual award is $2,250. Using Formula 1, Hildebrand determines that Peter can
receive $1,125 for each semester term.

For the fall and spring semesters, he’ll receive a total of $2,250. If Hildebrand wants to pay him for summer from the 2004-
2005 award year as well, it needs to see how much eligibility he has left. Subtracting the amount already received from the
$3,000 Scheduled Award, Hildebrand discovers that Peter only has $750 of Pell eligibility left.Therefore, Peter can only
receive $750, instead of $1,125, for the summer term.

As an alternative, Hildebrand could also pay Peter a full Pell disbursement for the summer term from the 2005-2006
award year, but that would reduce the amount of Pell that Peter could get for subsequent 05-06 terms. In the
example below, Peter’s 05-06 eligibility would be exhausted in the Spring term, even though he qualified for a higher
Scheduled Award in 05-06.
Option 1: Pay Summer from 04-05 Scheduled Award ($3,000)
Fall 04 = $1,125 Spring 05 = $1,125 Summer 05 = $750
(3/4-time) (3/4-time) (remaining eligibility)

Option 2: Pay Summer from 05-06 Scheduled Award ($2,400)

Summer 05 = $1,200 Fall 05 = $1,200 Spring 06 = $1600
(3/4-time) (3/4-time) (remaining eligibility)

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Vol. 3 — Calculating Awards and Packaging, 2004-05
Minisession Enrollment Status - If the student was previously enrolled in the award year, you may
Example be able to use the same cost of attendance for the summer term that
Bob is enrolled in a summer session with 3 3-week
it used for the immediately preceding term that the student attended.
minisessions that his school, Hawkeye University, has
However, this isn’t possible if the costs are different from the fall
combined into 1 term. Hawkeye U. is using Formula 1 to
through spring such as a different tuition charge per credit hour or
calculate Bob’s combined term, and knows as such they
must define full-time enrollment as at least 12 credit
you are required to recalculate the cost of attendance. (See the end
hours, even though the individual component of this chapter for information on when recalculations are required.)
minisessions may have originally considered full-time to If it’s necessary to base the student’s cost of attendance on the
be something less than 12 credit hours. Bob is enrolled summer term, you must prorate the summer costs to establish the cost
for 6 credits during the combined summer minisession for an academic year. (See Chapter 2 on prorating costs in the Pell
term. Bob’s enrollment status is equal to the proportion Grant program.)
of his credits to the school’s definition of full time for the
combined term. Therefore, Bob should be credited with If the summer session is the first term in the award year for that
half time enrollment status for the combined summer student (for example, your school is paying a student for the summer
term.
2003 term from the 2003-2004 award year), you must establish the
student’s full-year cost based on the costs for the summer term. If the
student enrolls in another term in that award year, you may have to
recalculate the student’s costs for the later term.

Summer minisessions
If a term-based school offers a series of minisessions that overlap
two award years (by “crossing over” the June 30 end date for one
award year), these minisessions may be combined and treated as
one term. However, schools are not required to combine these
minisessions.

When you combine minisessions into a single term (i.e. payment

period), the weeks of instructional time in the combined term are
the weeks from the beginning of the first minisession to the date the
last minisession ends. The student’s enrollment status for the entire
payment period must be calculated based on the total number of
credits the student is projected to take for all sessions. You must
project the enrollment status for a student on the basis of the
credits the student has:

• pre-registered or registered to take for all sessions,

• committed to take for all sessions in an academic plan or
enrollment contract, or
• committed to take for all sessions in some other document.

When you combine the minisessions into a single term, a student

cannot be paid more than the amount for one payment period for
completing any combination of the minisessions.

If the minisessions are not combined into a single payment

period, you must treat each minisession as a separate nonstandard
term using Formula 3 to calculate Pell Grant awards. You also must
use Formula 3 for each of the minisessions if your school doesn’t
define full-time attendance in each of the minisessions as at least 12
credit hours. (If you use Formula 3 for the crossover term,
remember that you must also use it for all other terms in the award
year, including Fall through Spring.)

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 Ch. 3 — Calculating Pell Grant Awards

Combined minisessions into standard term

Brian enrolls part time at Hildebrand University which defines its academic year as 24 semester hours and 30 weeks of
instructional time. In addition to Fall and Spring semesters, Hildebrand offers three summer minisessions. Each
minisession provides 4 weeks of instructional time. Hildebrand can either combine the minisessions into a single
nonstandard term, or treat each session as a separate nonstandard term. The school chooses to combine the sessions
into a single payment period providing 12 weeks of instructional time with full-time enrollment in this period defined
as 12 semester hours. If Hildebrand meets the conditions for use of Formula 1 in its Fall and Spring semesters, it can
use Formula 1 to calculate Pell payments for this summer session.

Session 1 Session 2 Session 3 Summer Term

(4 weeks) (4 weeks) (4 weeks) (12 weeks, 12 hours full/time)

Brian enrolls for 3 semester hours in each of the minisessions, so he’s enrolled three-quarter time (9 hours total in the
combined term). His Scheduled Award is $3,500 and his annual award (from the 3/4-time disbursement schedule) is
$2,475. To calculate Brian’s payment, Hildebrand simply divides the annual award by 2, the number of terms in the fall
through spring: $2,475 /2 = $1237.50.

Brian can receive $1,237.50 for the combined summer session if it’s the first term of the award year, or if he had
$1,237.50 left in eligibility for that award year. If he received payments for the fall and spring semesters from the
same award year, the school would need to check his remaining eligibility to see how much he could be paid for the
summer session. (See the earlier example of the Scheduled Award limit for a summer term.)

Minisessions treated as non-standard terms

Suppose Hildebrand didn’t combine these minisessions. If it defined full-time enrollment for each 4-week
minisession as less than 12 semester hours, it would have to calculate all Pell payments for the program using
Formula 3. Because these are nonstandard terms, Hildebrand would have to determine Brian’s enrollment status
for each mini-session by prorating the standard for full-time enrollment in a full academic year (24 semester
hours):

4 weeks* in term
24 semester hours X 30 weeks* in academic year = 3.2 semester hours (round up to 4)

For each of the 4-week terms, a full-time student must enroll in 4 semester hours, and based on that standard,
the 3 semester hours that Brian is attending in each minisession counts as 3/4 time enrollment status. Note that
Hildebrand would use the Pell cost of attendance for a full-time student attending a full academic year.
Hildebrand would determine his payment for each minisession using the following calculation:

4 weeks* in term
30 weeks* in academic year X $2,475 = $330.00

Brian would receive $330 for each of the minisessions, for a total of $990 for the summer. Again, these payments
may need to be reduced if Brian had previously received payments for the fall and spring semesters in the same
award year.

*These fractions use weeks of instructional time as defined in Chapter 1, which are not necessarily the
same number as the calendar weeks in an academic year.
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Vol. 3 — Calculating Awards and Packaging, 2004-05
Transfer student cites If the minisessions are combined in a single term and a student
34 CFR 690.65 does not begin attendance in all of the mini-sessions, recalculation
Mid-year transfer
of prior disbursements is required based on the resulting changed
“Dear Colleague” Letter GEN-00-12
enrollment status as discussed later in this chapter.
Percent of remaining eligibility
34 CFR 690.65(d)

TRANSFER STUDENTS
NSLDS Financial Aid History and Transfer
The Pell payment for a transfer student is calculated in the same
Monitoring
Before disbursing FSA funds to a transfer student, you
way as for any new student. That is, you must calculate payments for
must obtain a financial aid history for the student and you each payment period following the rules given in this chapter.
must inform NSLDS about the transfer student so that you However, a transfer student’s remaining Pell eligibility is reduced if
can receive updates through the Transfer Student the student received Pell funds for the same award year at any prior
Monitoring Process. schools. You can identify the student’s prior Pell disbursements
The financial aid history will not only identify Pell Grant when you review his or her Financial Aid History in NSLDS (see
disbursements that the student received at other sidebar).
schools, but tell you if the student is ineligible for any
FSA aid due to default or overpayment, or if the student Calculating remaining eligibility
has reached annual or aggregate limits for Stafford loans. Once you’ve identified the Pell amounts that a transfer student
See Volume 1, Chapter 3, for a more detailed discussion
has already received for the ongoing award year, you must calculate
of these requirements.
the percentage of the Scheduled Award that has been used. This
percentage is calculated by dividing the amount disbursed at the
Why percentages are used previous school by the student’s Scheduled Award at that school.
The reason for using percentages is that a transfer student
may have different Scheduled Awards because, for example,
the costs of attendance at the two schools may be different. Pell disbursed at prior school
The percentages are used to compare the portions of a = % of Scheduled Award used
Scheduled Award at prior school
student’s total eligibility that have been used at both
schools. (If the student’s Scheduled Award is the same at
both schools, the financial aid administrator can find the Then subtract this percentage from 100%. The result is the
amount of the student’s remaining eligibility simply by maximum percentage of the Scheduled Award that the student may
subtracting the amount received at the first school from the receive at your school.
Scheduled Award.)
Note that a transfer student receives the same payments as any
other student until the limit (100% of a Scheduled Award) is reached.
You give the student the full amount for each payment period, rather
than trying to ration the remaining amount by splitting it evenly across
the remaining terms.

Payment period for a transfer student at a non-term school

When a student transfers into a non-term credit hour or clock-
hour program at a new school, that student is starting a new
payment period. For non-term programs, you must use the
payment period rules described in Chapter 1 to determine the
payment periods for the remainder of the student’s program.

However, for a transfer student, the length of the program is the

number of credit or clock hours and the number of weeks, that the
student will be required to complete in the new program. If the
remaining hours in a clock hour program are half an academic year
or less, then the remaining hours constitute one payment period.
For a non-term credit hour program using if the remaining credit
hours or weeks are half an academic year or less, then the remaining
hours and weeks constitute one payment period.

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 Ch. 3 — Calculating Pell Grant Awards

Reentry after 180 days Reentry after 180 Days

For clock-hour and nonterm credit hour programs, the same 34 CFR 668.4(f)
requirements as for a transfer student apply if the student reenters
your school after 180 days.

Transfer student example

(one remaining term at new school)
Luna attends fall and winter terms at Lewis College in St. Louis using nonstandard terms. She then transfers to
Clark University in Omaha for the spring semester.The aid administrator at Clark University checks NSLDS,
which shows that Luna received $1,003 in Pell payments and had a $1,700 Scheduled Award. Luna is eligible
for a $2,100 Scheduled Award at Clark. To determine how much Luna can be paid, the aid administrator at
Clark first figures out what percentage of the Scheduled Award she received at her first school:

$1,003 disbursed at Lewis = 59%

$1,700 Scheduled Award at Lewis

Subtracting this percentage from 100%, the aid administrator finds that Luna is eligible for 41% of her
Scheduled Award at Clark. The Scheduled Award is multiplied by this percentage to find the dollar amount
of Luna’s remaining eligibility.

41% x $2,100 Scheduled Award = $861 remaining Pell eligibility

A student with a $2,100 Scheduled Award would ordinarily receive a $1,050 payment for one semester (if
enrolled full-time). However, Luna can’t be paid more than $861, because she has received 59% of the
Scheduled Award at the Lewis College.

Transfer student example

(two remaining terms at new school)
Dmitri transfers to Bylsma Conservatory during the award year and enrolls for two terms. He would
ordinarily receive a $500 payment for each term. However, his remaining eligibility, based on payments at
the previous school, is only $600. Rather than “rationing” this amount by splitting it into two $300
payments for the two terms, Bylsma must pay Dmitri $500 for the first term and the remainder ($100) for
the second term. In this way, Dmitri will receive the full payment he’s entitled to for the first term, even if
he doesn’t return for the second term.

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Vol. 3 — Calculating Awards and Packaging, 2004-05
Changes to the EFC RECALCULATIONS
There are three ways that a student’s EFC can change: In certain cases, you may have to recalculate the student’s Pell Grant
1. Corrections. The student may have to correct a mistake
after the initial calculation or disbursement, to account for changes to
that was reported on the original FAFSA or SAR/ISIR. This
the student’s costs, EFC, or enrollment status.
frequently occurs as a result of verification, but it may also be
a result of the student’s own review of the SAR/ISIR.
2. Updating. In some cases, a student is required to update Change in the EFC (recalculation required)
changes to dependency status, household size, and the If the student’s EFC changes due to corrections, updating, or an
number in college (see the Volume I: Student Eligibility for adjustment, and the EFC change would change the amount of the
details). Pell award, you must recalculate the Pell award for the entire award
3.Professional judgment. You may, on a case-by-case basis, year. If, as a result of the recalculation, the student has received more
adjust one or more of the data elements used to calculate than his or her award amount, then the student has received an
the EFC. In some cases, you might make an adjustment overpayment. In some cases, you may be able to adjust an award by
during the award year to reflect a student’s changed reducing or canceling later payments to the student in the same
circumstances. For example, if a wage-earning parent dies award year. However, if the overpayment can’t be eliminated, you
after the student’s first semester, you could adjust the
must follow the procedures in Volume 5 of the FSA Handbook.
adjusted gross income in the EFC formula to reflect the loss
of income. You may also determine that a dependent
student should be considered independent.
A student selected for verification can’t increase his or her eligibility
based on a corrected output document that you receive during the
If the student has already been paid based on the original “verification extension” (120 days after the student’s last day of
EFC, the award will have to be recalculated. enrollment, not to extend beyond August 31, 2005). For example, if
the student submits a reprocessed SAR during the extension period
and the SAR has a lower EFC than the previous SAR (increasing the
student’s eligibility), you may not recalculate the student’s Pell Grant
SAR/ISIR with different EFC
If you receive a SAR or ISIR with an EFC different from the
based on the later SAR. The student would be paid based on the
one you used for the payment calculation, you must first higher EFC on the SAR that was submitted earlier. However, if the
decide which document is valid. If the new information is the corrections reduce the student’s eligibility (that is, if the reprocessed
valid information, in most cases you must recalculate the SAR had a higher EFC), then the award must be calculated based on
student’s Pell award for the entire award year based on the the reprocessed SAR.
new EFC.
Change in enrollment status between terms
(recalculation required)
In a term program that uses credit hours, you must calculate a
student’s payment for each term based on the enrollment status for
Enrollment change: required recalculation that term. If a student attended full time for the first term and then
example enrolled half time in the second term, you must use the half-time
Edmund registers for a full-time course load (15 credit
enrollment status to calculate the student’s payment for the second
hours), and Hart University makes a first-term
term.
disbursement on that basis 10 days before the term
starts. When the term starts, Edmund only begins
attendance in three classes (9 credit hours). Hart must Student doesn’t begin attendance in all classes within a term
recalculate Edmund’s Pell award based on the lower (recalculation required)
enrollment status. Any difference between the amount If the student doesn’t begin attendance in all of his or her classes,
Edmund received and his new recalculated award is an resulting in a change in the student’s enrollment status, you must
overpayment. recalculate the student’s award based on the lower enrollment status. A
See Volume 5 for a discussion of overpayments. student is considered to have begun attendance in all of his or her
classes if the student attends at least one day of class for each course
in which that student’s enrollment status was determined for
Federal Pell Grant eligibility. Your school must have a procedure in
place to know whether a student has begun attendance in all classes
for purposes of the Federal Pell Grant Program. The Department
does not dictate the method a school uses to document that a
student has begun attendance. However, a student is considered not
to have begun attendance in any class in which the school is unable
to document that attendance.

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 Ch. 3 — Calculating Pell Grant Awards

Change in enrollment status within a term Enrollment change within payment

(optional recalculations) period example
Emma registers for a full-time course load at Woodhouse
The regulations don’t require any recalculation for changes in
College, and Woodhouse initially calculates a full-time
enrollment status after the student has begun attendance in all of
award for her. She begins attending all of her classes but
his or her classes. However, your school can have a policy of
subsequently drops to half-time. Depending on
recalculating an award if a student’s enrollment status changes Woodhouse’s recalculation policy, Emma may still be paid
within a term. If such a policy is established, it must be applied based on full-time enrollment as long as she’s otherwise
consistently to all students: For example, if the school chooses to eligible for payment. On the other hand, if Woodhouse
recalculate for a student whose enrollment status from half-time to did not receive Emma’s first processed SAR or ISIR with an
full-time, it must also recalculate for a student whose enrollment official EFC until after she dropped to half-time
status decreases. If the school establishes a policy allowing optional enrollment, the Pell calculation would be based on her
recalculations for an educational program, this policy must be in enrollment status at the time the output document was
writing. received (half-time).

Your school’s policy may set a date after which Pell Grants will
not be recalculated for enrollment status changes. For example, a
school can establish a policy that it will recalculate Pell awards only
for enrollment changes that occur up to the “add/drop” date of a
term. Note that in the case of a term with compressed coursework,
the initial calculation of a student’s Pell Grant may occur
subsequent to the “add/drop” date of the term. You must use the
student’s effective enrollment status on the date of the initial
calculation, and there would be no recalculations of the student’s
Pell Grant for the term due to a subsequent change in enrollment
status. If the student’s payment for the term is being disbursed in a
subsequent payment period, you may pay the student only for the
coursework completed in the term.

In the case of programs offered with compressed coursework or

modules within the terms, the school may adopt a policy of setting
the date based on the drop/add date of the last class in which the
student enrolls, or is expected to enroll, for the term. In this
circumstance, the school must take into account all adjustments to
the enrollment status, both increases and decreases, up to the
drop/add date of the student’s last class.

If a school doesn’t establish a policy for recalculation within a

term, a student who begins attendance in all classes would be paid
based on the initial calculation, even if his or her enrollment status
changes before the disbursement is made.

If the student withdraws from all of his or her classes (or doesn’t
begin attending any classes), you must follow the procedures
discussed in Volume 5.

Change in cost of attendance

(recalculation required if enrollment status changes;
otherwise optional)
You’re not required to recalculate Pell awards for cost changes
during the award year. For instance, if the student gets accepted into
on-campus housing after the fall term and your student budget for

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on-campus housing is lower, you’re not required to recalculate the

student’s Pell award. If you choose to recalculate for changes in
costs, you have to consistently apply that recalculation policy.

If you recalculate a Pell award because the student’s enrollment

status has changed, you must also take into account any changes in
the student’s costs at that time. For example, if a student enrolls full
time for the first semester and then drops to less than 1/2-time during
that semester, the student’s costs will change, because only certain cost
components are allowed for less than 1/2-time students. If your
school’s policy is to recalculate for the enrollment change, you must
use the cost for a less-than-half-time student for a full year to calculate
the student’s less-than-half-time award. You must not combine the two
costs or average them.

A school may have a policy of recalculating awards when the cost

of attendance changes from one payment period to the next—for
example, because of changes to the student’s tuition and fee costs, or
because a student’s living situation changes (such as when a student
moves off campus). Schools also have the option to establish a policy
to recalculate financial aid awards when a student’s costs change within
a payment period.

Note you may establish a policy of recalculating for cost changes

from one payment period to the next, and at the same time, have a
policy not to recalculate for cost changes within a payment period.

For Pell purposes, these policies are acceptable if they are carried
out consistently for all students whose costs change.

You may not recalculate the payment for a payment period that
took place before the cost change. For instance, in the example above, if
the student lives in the dormitory during the first quarter and then
moves off campus for the second and third quarters, the recalculation
would only affect the payments for the second and third quarters.

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APPENDIX A
FORMULA 2: CALCULATIONS FOR STANDARD TERM Using Formula 2
PROGRAMS WITH LESS THAN 30 WEEKS IN FALL 34 CFR 690.63(a)(c)
THROUGH SPRING
The regulations provide an option for standard-term programs
whose fall through spring terms provide less than 30 weeks of
Formula 2 Alternative Calculation
instructional time. Formula 2 may be advantageous for your summer
Under Formula 2, you can perform the same alternate
term calculations. (See example on page 3-25) calculation as performed under Formula 1 (p. 3-21) if the
weeks of instructional time in the defined academic year are
You may use Formula 2 if the program: the same as the total number of weeks of instructional time
in all the terms in the award year.
➔ has an academic calendar that consists of two semesters or trimesters (in the fall through the following spring) or three
quarters (in the fall, winter, and spring)
➔ does not have overlapping terms, and
➔ defines full-time enrollment for each term in the award year as at least 12 credit hours.

Formula 2: calculation for standard terms

with Fall through Spring terms < than 30 weeks
The regulations offer an alternative formula for standard term programs with Fall through Spring standard terms that provide
less than 30 weeks of instructional time. The significant effect of this formula is to allow you to pay the same Pell amount for
the Summer term as you would for one of your traditional Fall through Spring terms. To use this formula, the program must
have two semesters or trimesters (in the fall through the following spring) or three quarters (in the fall, winter, and spring), with no
overlapping terms, and define full-time enrollment for each term in the award year as at least 12 credit hours.

Let’s take the example of Emma, who is attending Woodhouse College, which has Fall and Spring semesters of 14 weeks each,
and a summer term of 10 weeks. Her Scheduled Award is $3,300, and she is attending as a full-time student. Because the Fall
and Spring terms provide less than the minimum 30 weeks of instructional time for an academic year, Susan’s full-time award
is prorated as follows:

29 weeks* in term
30 weeks* in academic year X $3,300 = $3,190
This prorated amount is then divided by the number of terms: $3,190 = $1,595
2
Therefore, Emma’s payment for each term in the award year is $1,595, the same as it would have been under Formula 3. Emma
will receive $3,080 for her attendance in both semesters. Note that this is less than her Scheduled Award; she may be able to receive
the remaining $220 if she enrolls in a summer term.

The difference between Formula 2 and Formula 3 lies in whether your must make a separate calculation for each term. Under
Formula 2, you do not have to perform a separate calculation based on the length of each term. Emma’s Pell eligibility as a
full-time student would be $1,595 under Formula 2. If Woodhouse used Formula 3, the annual award would be prorated
based on the length of each term: 14 weeks (14/30), 15 weeks (15/30), and 10 weeks (10/30), and Emma’s eligibility would
be $1540, $1650, and $1100 respectively.

Emma only has $110 in remaining Pell eligibility for the summer term under both formulas. Her summer payment would only
be different for each formula if Woodhouse chose to pay the summer term out of the subsequent award year. (Note that
Emma’s Scheduled Award and her summer payment would then be based on the EFC for the following award year.)

*These fractions use weeks of instructional time as defined in Chapter 1, which are not necessarily be
the same number as the calendar weeks in an academic year.

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Correspondence program highlights APPENDIX B

➔ Pell cost of attendance limited to tuition and fees
(and in some cases, books and supplies) FORMULA 5: CALCULATIONS FOR CORRESPONDENCE
➔ The enrollment status for correspondence students STUDY PROGRAMS
can never be more than 1/2-time
➔ The enrollment status for a student who is taking
both correspondence and regular coursework may be Students enrolled in correspondence courses are eligible for aid
greater than 1/2-time under FSA Programs only if the courses are part of a program leading
➔ Timing of payments within payment periods is to an associate, a bachelor’s, or a graduate degree. Also, to be eligible,
different for correspondence students a correspondence program must meet the criteria for an eligible
➔ Formula 5A or 5B used to calculate awards for
program (see the FSA Handbook: Institutional Eligibility and Participation
correspondence students
[Volume 2]).

Enrollment status cites for PELL COST OF ATTENDANCE

correspondence The cost of attendance for correspondence programs is limited
Term classes — 34 CFR 690.66(c)(2)
to tuition and fees, and in certain cases, books and supplies.
Combined with regular study — 34 CFR 690.8
Traditionally, books and supplies have been included as part of the
correspondence program’s tuition. If books and supplies are not
Academic coursework included in the program’s tuition, they may be counted as costs, for
The term academic coursework does not necessarily refer to
either a residential or nonresidential period of enrollment. As
credits. It may refer to the lessons or other measures of
always, the cost of attendance must be based on the costs for a full-
learning within a course or a program. For instance, if a
course or program is made up of 40 equal lessons, the
time student for a full academic year. If the student’s program or
student reaches the halfway point as follows: period of enrollment, as measured in credit hours, is longer or shorter
• If the student completes the first 20 lessons before the than an academic year as measured in credit hours, the tuition and
calendar midpoint of the academic year, the second payment fees for the program or enrollment period must be prorated. Because
period does not begin until the calendar midpoint. the correspondence study cost of attendance for the nonresidential
• If the student completes the first half of the academic component only includes costs associated with credit hours, your
year before completing the first 20 lessons, the second school always uses the credit hour-related fraction to prorate the cost
payment period does not begin until the student completes of attendance as follows (because there are no costs associated with
the first 20 lessons. weeks of instructional time in the correspondence cost of attendance,
your school has to prorate the cost only if the number of hours in the
Annual award program is shorter or longer than in an academic year):
The annual award for a student in a nonterm
correspondence program is always taken from the half-time
Credit hours in program’s definition of an academic year
Disbursement Schedule because a correspondence student
Credit hours to which the costs apply
can’t receive more than half a Scheduled Award. For a
student in a term correspondence program, the annual
award is determined from the half-time Disbursement The resulting amount is the full-time, full-academic-year cost used
Schedule or the less-than-half-time Disbursement Schedule, for calculating Pell Grant eligibility. When there is a residential portion
as appropriate. in a correspondence student’s program, Formula 3 or 4 (whichever
34 CFR 668.4(d) applies) is used to calculate the student’s payment for a payment
period for a residential portion. Refer to Formula 3 or 4 guidelines,
including cost of attendance determinations, for this circumstance.

PELL ENROLLMENT STATUS

Students enrolled in programs of correspondence study are
considered to be no more than half-time students, even if they’re
enrolled in enough coursework to be full time. However, if the
correspondence study is combined with regular coursework, the
student’s enrollment status might be more than half time.

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 Ch. 3 — Calculating Pell Grant Awards

A student enrolled only in a nonterm correspondence program is

always enrolled half time. For a student enrolled in a term
correspondence program, your school must determine whether the
student is enrolled half time (6 or more credit hours in a term) or less
than half time (less than 6 credit hours in a term). Special rules are
used to determine the student’s enrollment status when the student is
enrolled in a combination of regular and correspondence coursework.

Correspondence study combined with regular study

If correspondence coursework is combined with regular
coursework, the correspondence courses must meet the following
criteria to be included in the student’s enrollment status:

• The courses must apply toward the student’s degree or certifi-

cate or must be remedial work to help the student in his or
her course of study.

• The courses must be completed during the period required

for the student’s regular coursework.

When combining the number of credit hours of correspondence

work with the number of credit hours of regular coursework to
determine the student’s enrollment status for a Pell Grant, the amount
of correspondence work counted can’t be more than the number of
credit hours of regular coursework in which the student is enrolled.
However, if the student is taking at least a half-time load of
correspondence courses, the student would be paid as at least a half-
time student, regardless of the credit hours of regular coursework.

A student will be paid as a less-than-half-time student for any

combination of regular and correspondence work that is less than 6
credit hours.

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Vol. 3 — Calculating Awards and Packaging, 2004-05
Correspondence Payment Periods Cites PAYMENT PERIODS & TIMING OF PAYMENTS
Nonterm — 34 CFR 690.66(b) For a non-term correspondence program, there must be two equal
Term — 34 CFR 690.66(c)(4) payment periods in each academic year. Each payment period is the
lesser of half the academic year or half the program (measured in
credit hours). In addition, you can’t disburse a Pell payment for the
first payment period until the student has completed 25% of the work
in the academic year or the program, whichever is shorter. It can’t
make the second payment until the student has completed 75% of the
work in the academic year or program.

For a term correspondence program, as for other term-based

programs, the payment period is the term. However, you can’t disburse
the Pell for a payment period until the student has completed 50% of
the lessons or completes 50% of the work for the term, whichever is
later.

If the correspondence program has a required period of residential

training, you must treat the residential training as an additional
payment period and determine the payment for that payment period
using either Formula 3 or Formula 4. Note that the correspondence
portion of the program is still treated as a separate portion of the
program that’s divided into two equal payment periods.

PELL CALCULATIONS IN CORRESPONDENCE

PROGRAMS
Formula 5 is used for students enrolled only in correspondence
courses (not including residential components of correspondence
programs). There are two versions of Formula 5: Formula 5A (which is
similar to Formula 4) is used for nonterm programs, and Formula 5B
(which is similar to Formula 3) is used for term-based programs. For a
residential component of a correspondence program, your school
must use either Formula 3 or Formula 4. If the residential component
is a term, your school uses Formula 3; otherwise, it uses Formula 4.

For nonterm correspondence programs, this step of the

calculation is similar to the step under Formula 4. For term
correspondence programs, this step is the same as under Formula 3.

For the Pell calculation, you are required to determine the

number of weeks of instructional time in the program by preparing a
written schedule for the lessons that the student will submit. A
nonterm correspondence program must require at least 12 hours of
preparation per week. A term correspondence program must require
at least 30 hours of preparation per semester hour or at least 20 hours
of preparation per quarter hour during the term.

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 Ch. 3 — Calculating Pell Grant Awards

Nonterm correspondence program—Formula 5A

You first multiply the annual award (taken from the half-time
disbursement schedule) by the least of:

Weeks for a student to complete credit hours in program Correspondence Multiple Formulas
Weeks in program’s academic year definition Exception
If a correspondence student has one or more payment
periods in an award year that contain only correspondence
or
study and one or more payment periods in the same award
year that contain a residential portion, your school would use
Weeks for a student to complete credit hours in academic year
two different formulas for determining a student’s payment
Weeks in program’s academic year definition
for each payment period. This instance is the only one in
which a school would use two different Pell formulas within
or the same award year for students in the same program.

One

You then multiply the result by the following fraction:

Credit hours in a payment period

Credit hours in program’s academic year definition

Term correspondence program—Formula 5B

You multiply the annual award (taken from the half-time or less-
than-half-time Disbursement Schedule) by the weeks of instructional
time in the term divided by the weeks in the academic year:

Weeks in term
Weeks in program’s academic year definition

If the resulting amount is more than 50% of the annual award,

your school must make the payment in at least two disbursements in
that payment period. You may not disburse an amount that exceeds
50% of the annual award until the student has completed the period
of time in the payment period that equals, in terms of weeks of
instructional time, 50% of the weeks of instructional time in the
program’s academic year definition. A single disbursement for a
payment period can never be more than 50% of the annual award.

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APPENDIX C
FORMULA SUMMARIES

Formula 1 Summary
Standard-term, credit-hour programs, with 30 weeks of instructional time (or
waiver applies)
• Enrollment for at least 12 credit hours each term required for full-time status
• Program terms don’t overlap
• Academic calendar includes 2 semesters/trimesters (fall and spring) or 3
quarters (fall, winter, and spring)
• Fall through spring terms equal at least 30 weeks of instructional time, or at
least 26 weeks of instructional time if the program was granted a waiver of
the minimum 30-week academic year requirement

Step 1: Determine Enrollment Status

Full time, three-quarter time, half time, or less than half time
Step 2: Calculate Pell COA
Full time, full academic year costs
Step 3: Determine Annual Award
If the student’s enrollment status is full time, the annual award is taken from the
full-time Payment Schedule (Scheduled Award). If the student’s enrollment status
is 3/4-time, 1/2-time, or less than 1/2-time, the annual award is taken from the
appropriate part-time Disbursement Schedule.
Step 4: Determine Payment Periods
Payment period is the academic term.
Step 5: Calculate Payment for a Payment Period
Annual award
Number of payment periods in the program’s academic year definition

OR

For alternate calculation:

Annual Award
Number of terms in the award year

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 Ch. 3 — Calculating Pell Grant Awards

Formula 2 Summary
Standard-term, credit-hour programs, with fewer than 30 weeks of instructional
time, and waiver does not apply
• Enrollment for at least 12 credit hours each term required for full-time status
• Program terms don’t overlap
• Academic calendar includes 2 semesters/trimesters (fall and spring) or 3
quarters (fall, winter, and spring)
• Fall through spring terms are less than 30 weeks of instructional time

Step 1: Determine Enrollment Status

Full time, three-quarter time, half time, or less than half time
Step 2: Calculate Pell COA
Full time, full academic year costs
Cost for fall through spring terms prorated. If fall through spring terms
provide the same number of credit hours as are in the academic year
definition, prorated COA is the same as nonprorated COA.
Step 3: Determine Annual Award
If the student’s enrollment status is full time, the annual award is taken from the
full-time Payment Schedule (Scheduled Award). If the student’s enrollment status
is 3/4-time, 1/2-time, or less than 1/2-time, the annual award is taken from the
appropriate part-time Disbursement Schedule.
Step 4: Determine Payment Periods
Payment period is the academic term
Step 5: Calculate Payment for a Payment Period
Proration required unless alternate calculation is used

Weeks of instructional time in 2 (if semesters

Annual
award X
fall through spring terms
Weeks of instructional time in ÷ or trimesters)
OR
3 (if quarters)
program’s academic year definition
OR
For alternate calculation:
Annual award
Number of terms in the award year

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Formula 3 Summary
Any term-based, credit-hour programs; may include those qualifying for Formulas
1 and 2

Step 1: Determine Enrollment Status

Full time, three-quarter time, half time, or less than half time
Step 2: Calculate Pell COA
Full time, full academic year costs
Cost for program or period not equal to academic year prorated. Two
fractions compared:
Hours in program’s definition of academic year
Hours to which the costs apply
Weeks of instructional time in program’s definition of academic year
Weeks of instructional time in the enrollment period to which
the costs apply
The entire cost is multiplied by the lesser of the two fractions to determine
Pell COA.
Step 3: Determine Annual Award
If the student’s enrollment status is full-time, the annual award is taken from the
full-time Payment Schedule (Scheduled Award). If the student’s enrollment status
is 3/4-time, 1/2-time, or less than 1/2-time, the annual award is taken from the
appropriate part-time Disbursement Schedule.
Step 4: Determine Payment Periods
Payment period is the academic term
Step 5: Calculate Payment for a Payment Period
Annual Weeks of instructional time in the term
award X Weeks of instructional time in
program’s academic year definition
A single disbursement can’t exceed 50% of the annual award

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 Ch. 3 — Calculating Pell Grant Awards

Formula 4 Summary
Clock-hour programs and credit-hour programs without terms

Step 1: Determine Enrollment Status

At least half time or less than half time
Step 2: Calculate Pell COA
Full time, full academic year costs
Cost for program or period not equal to academic year prorated. Two
fractions compared:
Hours in program’s definition of academic year
Hours to which the costs apply
Weeks of instructional time in program’s definition of academic year
Weeks of instructional time in the enrollment period to which
the costs apply
The entire cost is multiplied by the lesser of the two fractions to determine
Pell COA.
Step 3: Determine Annual Award
Always taken from full-time Payment Schedule (equal to Scheduled Award)
Step 4: Determine Payment Periods
Length of payment period measured in credit or clock hours
Minimum of 2 equal payment periods required for programs shorter than an
academic year, or 2 equal payment periods in each full academic year (or final
portion longer than half an academic year) for programs longer than or equal
to an academic year.
Step 5: Calculate Payment for a Payment Period
Annual award is multiplied by two fractions :

(1) Annual award x the least of:

Weeks of instructional time for a full-time
student to complete hours in program
Weeks of instructional time in program’s academic year definition
OR
Weeks of instructional time for a full-time
student to complete hours in academic year
Weeks of instructional time in program’s academic year definition
OR
One (1)

(2) the results of (1) are multiplied by:

Clock/credit hours in payment period
Clock/credit hours in program’s academic year definition

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Formula 5A Summary
Programs of study by correspondence, nonterm correspondence component.
The written schedule for the submission of lessons must reflect a workload of
at least 12 hours of preparation per week of instructional time

Step 1: Determine Enrollment Status

Enrollment status is never more than half time
Step 2: Calculate Pell COA
Full time, full academic year costs (for applicable components)
Cost for program or enrollment period not equal to academic year prorated
according to the following formula:
For tuition and fees:
Costs X Credit hours in program’s definition of academic year
Credit hours to which costs apply
Step 3: Determine Annual Award
Annual award taken from half-time Disbursement Schedule
Step 4: Determine Payment Periods
Length of payment period measured in credit hours
First payment period is the period of time in which the student completes
the lesser of the first half of the academic year or the first half of the program.
(First payment may be made only after the student has completed 25% of
lessons or otherwise completed 25% of the work scheduled, whichever
comes last.)
Second payment period is the period of time in which the student completes
the lesser of the second half of the academic year or the second half of the
program. (Second payment may be made only after the student has
submitted 75% of lessons or otherwise completed 75% of the work
scheduled, whichever comes last.).
Step 5: Calculate Payment for a Payment Period
Annual award is multiplied by two fractions:

1) Annual award x the least of

Weeks of instructional time for a student to complete credit hours in program
Weeks of instructional time in program’s academic year definition
OR
Weeks of instructional time for a student to complete
credit hours in academic year
Weeks of instructional time in program’s academic year definition
OR
1 (one)

(2) The results of (1) are then multiplied by

Credit hours in a payment period
Credit hours in program’s academic year definition

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Formula 5B Summary
Programs of study by correspondence, term correspondence component. During
each term, the written schedule for the submission of lessons must reflect a
workload of at least 30 hours of preparation per semester hour or at least 20
hours of preparation per quarter hour.
Step 1: Determine Enrollment Status
Enrollment status is never more than half time
Step 2: Calculate Pell COA
Full time, full academic year costs (for applicable components)
Cost for program or enrollment period not equal to academic year prorated
according to the following formula:
For tuition and fees:
Costs X Credit hours in program’s definition of academic year
Credit hours to which costs the apply
Step 3: Determine Annual Award
Annual award taken from half-time Disbursement Schedule
Step 4: Determine Payment Periods
Length of payment period measured in credit hours
First payment period is the period of time in which the student completes
the lesser of the first half of the academic year or the first half of the program.
(First payment may be made only after the student has completed 25% of
lessons or otherwise completed 25% of the work scheduled, whichever
comes last.)
Second payment period is the period of time in which the student completes
the lesser of the second half of the academic year or the second half of the
program. (Second payment may be made only after the student has
submitted 75% of lessons or otherwise completed 75% of the work
scheduled, whichever comes last.).
Step 5: Calculate Payment for a Payment Period
Annual award is multiplied by two fractions:

1) Annual award x the lessor of

Weeks of instructional time for student to complete credit hours in program

Weeks of instructional time in program’s academic year definition
OR
Weeks of instructional time for a student to complete
credit hours in academic year
Weeks of instructional time in program’s academic year definition
OR
One(1)
(2) the results of (1) are then multiplied by
Credit hours in payment period
Credit hours in program’s academic year definition
A single disbursement can’t exceed 50% of the annual award.

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