UMD: Grants: Pell Grant - Financial Aid & Registrar

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Federal Pell Grants are awarded to undergraduate students working toward their first undergraduate degree.

Pell grants are based on financial need as determined by the FAFSA. Students must have a completed FAFSA on file for the current aid year in order to be considered for this grant.

For 2011-2012, these grants range from $555 to $5550. Your actual award depends on:

Your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), as determined by your FAFSA
The number of credits for which you register
Whether you're a full-time or part-time student
Whether you attend school for a full academic year or less

To receive the full amount of the Pell Grant, a student must be enrolled for 12 or more credits per semester. Grant amounts are adjusted and/or prorated based on the student's actual enrollment at the end of the second week of the semester. Federal regulations prohibit award changes to be made after this date.

Students may not receive Pell funds at more than one school at a time. Recent Pell Grant changes allow Pell eligible students to receive the equivalent of two full-time semesters of Pell Grant per year (fall/spring/summer).

Students must be maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress to be eligible for the Pell Grant.

For additional information, please see Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid | 2011-2012; U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid.