Student Financial Assistance Home

Federal Pell Grant

The Federal Pell Grant is awarded to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's or professional degree and are enrolled in 1000 level or above and/or approved remedial courses. (A professional degree would include a degree in a field such as pharmacy or dentistry.) For many students, the Federal Pell Grant provides a foundation of financial aid to which other aid may be added. Federal Pell Grant awards range from $5,550 to $602 per academic school year (an academic school year is defined as August through May). Eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant is based on financial need - as determined by the Federal Processor.

Please Note: Students who receive their maximum Pell Grant eligibility during the academic school year will not have any Pell Grant eligibility for the summer term.

To apply for a Federal Pell Grant, a student must first meet the following general eligibility requirements:

U.S citizen or eligible non-citizen
Have received a high school diploma or GED
Be enrolled in classes leading to a U.S. Department of Education-approved certificate or degree.
Not be in default on a Federal student loan.
Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students should start the application process by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It is recommended that students complete the College of DuPage's Admission Form prior to filing their FAFSA. If you filed the FAFSA online the Office of Student Financial Assistance should receive your results within 3 to 4 days.

After our office receives your results electronically, an email will be sent to your COD email address to request additional information based on your results, which may include, but is not limited to: tax transcripts, verification of citizenship, etc. Our office will send out three requests for additional information, after which you will no longer receive notices for missing information. It is your responsibility to check your COD email and myACCESS account regularly!

It may take 4 to 6 weeks to process your financial aid information after all required documents are submitted. Processing time may vary depending on volume of application and/or corrections. It is strongly suggested that students apply at least 8 weeks before the start of the semester.

** New for 2012-2013**

The amount of Federal Pell Grant funds a student can receive over his or her lifetime is limited by a new federal law to be the equivalent of six years of Pell Grant funding. Since the maximum amount of Pell Grant funding a student can receive each year is equal to 100%, the six-year equivalent is 600%. For more information please visit Calculating Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility Used

Notification of your award
You will receive notification that your financial aid award has been determined via your COD email address. Your complete Financial Aid Award Letter will be accessible in your myACCESS. All financial aid awards will be based on full-time enrollment, which is 12 semester hours or more. If you are not a full-time student then your financial aid awards will be prorated according to your enrollment status.

Please refer to Understanding Your Financial Aid for important information on withdrawing from classes and deadline dates for enrollment. Students who have excessive drops or do not complete 67% of their classes and maintain a 2.0 GPA will risk losing their financial aid.

Withdrawals
According to the Federal Refund Policy, if you withdraw from ALL your classes prior to completing 60% of the term, you could owe a refund of grant and/or loan funds to the College of DuPage and to the Federal Government. The amount owed will be based upon your grant and/or loan eligibility.

Federal Financial Aid is paid based upon attendance in classes. If you receive a failing grade or withdrawal from class for failure to attend, you may owe a portion or all of your grant and/or loan funds to College of DuPage and the federal government. The date of your last participation in an academically-related course activity determines the period utilized for determining your final award.

As always, please contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance prior to dropping classes.

Transfer Students
If you received a Federal Pell Grant at another school during the academic school year you will have your Federal Pell Grant prorated at College of DuPage. This may result in you not being eligible for the full Federal Pell grant or not being eligible at all for a Federal Pell Grant at College of DuPage.