2012-2013 Pell Grant Eligibility

In late December, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 was signed into law. This legislation impacts federal financial aid programs and student eligibility for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Some students who received the Pell grant in the past may no longer be eligible for the reasons below:

• Maximum expected family contribution (EFC) eligibility has changed. During the 2011-12 academic year, students with EFCs between 0 and 5273 were eligible to receive a Pell grant. For the 2012-13 academic year, only students with an EFC between 0 and 4995 will be Pell grant-eligible. Your EFC can be found on your federal Student Aid Report (SAR) or on your Delta College award letter.
• The new law also reduces the duration of a student’s Pell grant eligibility to a 12-semester lifetime limit. Students who have received Pell grant funds for the equivalent of 12 full-time semesters will not be eligible to receive this grant for future semesters. Full-time enrollment is defined as 12 or more credits per semester.

How will you know if you are nearing your lifetime limit? To determine remaining eligibility, the Department of Education (DOE) must review all Pell grants awarded since the program began. Beginning in mid-April, the DOE will send emails to all 2012-2013 FAFSA applicants who appear to be nearing their lifetime limit. It is possible that students may be awarded for the 2012-13 academic year before the DOE makes a final eligibility determination. If you are awarded Pell grant funds and later found to have exceeded the lifetime limit, the award will be cancelled and you could be responsible for any resulting balances.

The Financial Aid Office is awaiting more specific guidance pertaining to these changes from the Department of Education. When more information becomes available, we will communicate it with you. In the meantime, if you have specific questions or concerns, please visit our office located in D101 on the main campus or send your questions to finaid@delta.edu.

 More information on calculating Pell Grant eligibility can be found on the Federal Student Aid website.