Do I Get The Full Pell Grant if I Go To School Part-Time?
I recently completed my financial aid application and visited the financial aid department at my school. The financial aid officer informed me that I qualify for the Pell Grant, as my Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is 0. She mentioned that I am eligible for the full amount, which is approximately $5,500. However, I am attending school part-time, and she is aware of this. I am enrolled in a technical/vocational program in PC Support, which consists of about 900 total hours across four different courses. My question is: since I am attending part-time, will I still receive the full Pell Grant amount? I am wondering if the nature of my vocational school and the different course hours compared to a traditional college or university (I attend classes for 3 hours, four times a week) is the reason I am being considered for the full amount instead of half. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
8 Answers
Since you have an EFC of 0, you will get the full amount allowed as a part time student. This is what she meant (because you have an EFC of 0).
If you want the FULL $5,550 (THIS is the FULL pell grant amount, not $5,500) then you need to enroll FULL time both now and after Christmas.
Yes, you are correct, vocational schools use clock hours rather than semester hours. But either way, part time is STILL part time no matter how you figure it.
Your fin aid officer sees hundreds of students, I guarantee she forgot you were a part time student. She was just looking at your zero EFC. If you are a HALF time student for the entire year, you will only get HALF that Pell grant. If you are a 3/4 time student for the entire year, you will only get 3/4 that Pell grant.
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
Do I Get The Full Pell Grant if I Go To School Part-Time?
I recently finished my financial aid application and visited the FA department at my school. The FA officer told me that I qualify for the pell grant (My EFC is 0). She said i qualify for the FULL amount which is like $5,500, but i only attend school part time, which she knows. I attend a…
Just because you qualify for a Pell Grant, doesn’t mean you’re going to get it.
When I received Pell Grants, I had to be a full-time student (12 semester hours completed each semester) in order to get any Federal money. For me, that meant I had to register for 4 classes each semester. I don’t remember how many class hours that actually meant, because I completed most of mine through independant study, or online.
Since your school doesn’t use semester hours, ask them how your course hours related to semester hours, as far as the Pell Grant is concerned. Maybe your 3 classes meeting 4x per week is considered equivalent to a full-time course load. You definitely need to check it out before you miss your registration deadline, or you could end up with no Pell Grant money.
If you are taking 12 or more CREDIT hours, you are full-time and can receive 100% of your award.
9-11 CREDIT hours are 3/4 time, and can receive 75% of your award.
6-9 CREDIT hours are part-time, and can receive 50% of your award.
I think most people get confused with enrollment status with how many classes you take. Just because you take 4 classes, does not make you full time. And just because you take 3 classes, that does not make you part-time. To figure out if you are part or full time, look at the hours I’ve listed above.
A class can be worth 1, 2, 3 or 4 CREDIT hours. So you can have a combination of many classes.
For example:
I can take 3 classes a semester. And each class is worth 4 credit hours. Which equals to 12 credit hours, making me a full-time student.
Another example:
I can take 3 classes a semester. And each class is worth 3 credit hours. Which equals to 9 credit hours, making me a part-time student.
It all depends on how many CREDIT hours the classes are worth, DO NOT look at the number of classes you take.
NO – fulltime financial aid (including Pell Grants) are ONLY for fulltime students, parttimers get significantly less funding.
Related Questions
Does Wells Fargo Bank open on Sundays in Bakersfield, California, specifically at the intersection of White Lane and Gos...
Please find below the present and future values for different interest rates. Compounding and discounting occur annually...
I’m trying to make my car payment online, and it’s asking for a bank account nickname. What does that mean, and what sho...
What is the reason that all shareholders tend to agree on a common goal for the financial manager?
Presented below are selected account balances for Homer Winslow Co. as of December 31, 2014. Instructions: Prepare the...
On December 31, Fighting Okra Cooking Services reported the following revenues and expenses.
Presented below is information from Perez Computers Incorporated. On July 1, the company sold $20,000 worth of computers...
Is it a GAAP requirement to attach a copy of a check to all documents for filing purposes, and if so, how many copies ar...
Presented below is the information regarding the equipment owned by Suarez Company as of December 31, 2017. Please revie...
What explains the paradox of Venezuela, a country rich in oil and gas resources, facing such severe economic challenges?