Pell eligibility is based on need as determined by the FAFSA for each award year. Available to eligible, undergraduate students. The amount packaged and disbursed depends on your FAFSA Expected Family Contribution (EFC), Cost of Attendance (COA), and enrollment status as a full-time or part-time student.

The Pell Grant disburses in two payments over your academic year and funds are applied directly towards semester charges. Disbursements made for each semester are based on enrollment status at “census” (the Monday after start).

Any change in enrollment status or failure to successfully complete a semester, could result in the loss of some or all Pell Grant funds, in accordance with general Pell and Federal Student Aid provisions.

Pell Recalculation refers to the process in which Pell Grant students with enrollment changes during the semester may have their Pell Grant adjusted. Enrollment changes as the result of dropping courses may prompt a Pell Recalculation.

APU uses a Census date to determine Pell Grant eligibility. The Census date refers to the point at which your enrolled credit hours are locked for Pell Grant purposes. The Census falls on the first day of week two in each semester.

  • Courses (credit hours) added after the census date will not be used to increase Pell Grant eligibility. 
  • Courses (credit hours) dropped after Census, and for which Pell was received will require a Pell Recalculation and may result in a loss of Pell Grant funding. 

In accordance with 34 CFR 690.64, which allows schools to determine which award year to assign crossover payment periods, crossover students will be packaged with Pell Grant funding as follows:

2023-2024 and 2024-2025 Award Years

  • Semester start dates of April, May, and June 2024: In general, students will be packaged with any remaining 2023-2024 eligible funding. If no eligibility exists for 2023-2024 packaging will include any eligible 2024-2025 funding.
  • Students for whom the April, May, or June 2024 semester is the last term of their Pell-eligible program may benefit and be packaged from the award year for which they have greater funding eligibility. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis

Students must submit, in writing, any request to waive any Pell Grant funds and must be counseled on any potential implications for doing so. 

The Department of Education’s Federal Pell Grant Program will allow an eligible student to receive up to 150 percent (the equivalent of one- and one-half school years or three disbursements) of their Federal Pell Grant Scheduled Award. To meet general requirements for Year-Round (150%) Pell, a student must be:

  • Eligible for Pell Grant as determined by the Department of Education
  • Enrolled in an eligible undergraduate program
  • Enrolled at least half-time for the semester during which any additional Pell is disbursed

It is important to understand that if enrollment drops to less than half-time (less than 6 credit hours) for the semester, students will lose eligibility for the additional Pell Grant.

Lifetime eligibility for the Pell Grant is 600%. The maximum timeframe that eligible students may receive Pell Grant is for the equivalent of twelve full-time semesters. Students must submit, in writing, any request to waive any Pell Grant funds and must be counseled on any potential implications for doing so.

The amount of Federal Pell Grant funds you may receive over your lifetime is limited by federal law to be the equivalent of six years of Pell Grant funding. Since the amount of a scheduled Pell Grant you can receive each award year is equal to 100%, the six-year equivalent is 600%.

The maximum amount of Federal Pell Grant funding you can receive is calculated for an award year. An award year is a period from July 1 of one calendar year to June 30 of the next calendar year.

Your scheduled award

  • is partially determined by using your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) that is calculated from the information provided when you filed your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA);
  • is the maximum amount you would be able to receive for the award year if you were enrolled full-time for the full school year; and
  • epresents 100% of your Pell Grant eligibility for that award year.

Percent used: To determine how much of the maximum six years (600%) of Pell Grant you have used each year, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) compares the actual amount you received for the award year with your scheduled award amount for that award year.  

Under this scholarship, a Pell-eligible student whose parent or guardian died in the line of duty while performing as a public safety officer is eligible to receive a maximum Pell Grant for the award year for which the determination of eligibility is made. To qualify for this scholarship, a student must be:

  1. Pell-eligible and have a Pell-eligible EFC greater than zero,
  2. Less than 24 years of age or enrolled at an institution of higher education at the time of his or her parent’s or guardian’s death.

For purposes of the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship, a public safety officer is:

  • As defined in section 1204 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796b);
  • A fire police officer, defined as an individual who is serving in accordance with State or local law as an officially recognized or designated member of a legally organized public safety agency and provides scene security or directs traffic in response to any fire drill, fire call, or other fire, rescue, or police emergency, or at a planned special event.

In subsequent award years, the student continues to be eligible for the scholarship, as long as the student has a Pell-eligible EFC and continues to be an eligible student. Learn more about the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship.

If you believe you are eligible for the scholarship, please complete the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Certification Form and send to Financial Aid Services at [email protected] or call 855-731-9218 for more information.

‘Public safety officer’’ means—

  • (A) an individual serving a public agency in an official capacity, with or without compensation, as a law enforcement officer, as a firefighter, or as a chaplain;
  • (B) an employee of the Federal Emergency Management Agency who is performing official duties of the Agency in an area, if those official duties—
    • (i) are related to a major disaster or emergency that has been, or is later, declared to exist with respect to the area under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.); and
    • (ii) are determined by the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be hazardous duties;
  • (C) an employee of a State, local, or tribal emergency management or civil defense agency who is performing official duties in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in an area, if those official duties—
    • (i) are related to a major disaster or emergency that has been, or is later, declared to exist with respect to the area under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.); and
    • (ii) are determined by the head of the agency to be hazardous duties; or
  • (D) a member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew who, as authorized or licensed by law and by the applicable agency or entity, is engaging in rescue activity or in the provision of emergency medical services.