Overview
Grants are financial aid that does not need to be paid back. All grants below use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply.
Federal Pell Grant
The Federal Pell Grant is a need-based grant awarded to undergraduate students. If eligible, a student can receive the Pell Grant for a maximum of 12 full-time semesters or equivalent.
You do not need to be full-time to receive Pell Grant funds. Pell Grant award amounts vary depending on your Expected Family Contribution(EFC) from the FAFSA and the number of eligible credit hours you are enrolled in each semester.
The Pell Grant adjusts with your enrollment. If you are not enrolled full-time (12+ credit hours) then you will be given a percentage of the full Pell Grant award you are eligible for. Changes in enrollment will not immediately change your Pell Grant award. At different times of the year files are revised to update enrollment more or less frequently. For more detailed information about how your enrollment impacts your Pell Grant amount see below.
To review your schedule and see your financial aid eligible coursework log in to eSantaFe, select the My Classes menu, and click My Schedule. To review your Pell Grant award choose the Finances menu in eSantaFe and click My FA Status.
Learn more about the Pell Grant at studentaid.gov.
How Do My Classes Affect My Pell Grant Amount?
- All incoming Pell Grant students will be shown estimated awards based on full-time enrollment before registering for classes.
- You don't usually have to be enrolled in 12 credit hours to receive the Pell Grant!
- However, if you enroll in less than 12 credit hours, your Pell Grant will decrease from what is initially estimated/previewed for you, but you may still be eligible for aid if less than full time.
- Some students may have their award completely cancel if they are less than full time, because of their Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
- Awards adjust up and down based on your enrollment up until the Last Day to Drop w/ a Refund for the parent term (the major semester).
- No grant increases can be made after this date, though if you drop classes after this date, the financial aid office may have to decrease your award, per federal rules.
- See the Enrollment Status and Financial Aid Section of the Financial Aid Handbook for details about how this works.
- In addition to the note above: If you add classes in mini-terms/flex-terms (i.e. B terms) and you are enrolled in the parent term, you will not get additional Pell Grant for that mini-term!
- Classes have to count toward your program of study or your Pell Grant will be reduced.
- If you have red messages on your schedule, then the Pell Grant can't cover those classes.
- Those classes are outside of your program, or you have 0 hours remaining in that subject area of your degree audit.
- You may also only receive the Pell Grant for a limited time. Learn more about the Lifetime Eligibility Usage (LEU) at Financial Aid TV.
Summer Pell Grant Awards
Qualifying for Summer Pell Grant
Students who are otherwise eligible for the Pell Grant may qualify for the Summer Pell Grant. Pell Grant awards for Summer will not appear in My FA Status until you have enrolled for at least 6 credit hours of eligible Summer courses.
There are two situations where the Summer Pell Grant is available:
- You did not attend full-time (12 credit hours) in either the fall semester or spring semester, so you have some of your annual Pell Grant amount available for you to use over the summer.
- You did attend full-time (12 credit hours) in the fall semester and spring semester, so you are using the additional 50% Summer Pell Grant that students may now access due to recently updated federal rules.
- For the additional 50% Summer Pell Grant, you must be enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours) to get Pell Grant in the summer.
If any portion of your Summer Pell Grant is coming from the additional 50% Summer Pell Grant (you were full-time in both the fall and spring semesters):
- The additional 50% Summer Pell Grant will not pay out (disburse) until you have attended at least 6 credit hours within your program of study.
- It is recommended that you do not split enrollment between mini-terms/mini-semesters for Summer Pell Grant.
- You may receive a bill from the Cashier's Office if you have split enrollment for the Summer, since your additional 50% Pell Grant does not pay out until after B term begins.
- If at any point, you are enrolled in less than half-time (6 credit hours), the full amount of the Summer Pell Grant will be will be cancelled.
- This means the Pell Grant may have to be paid back or it will never be paid out/disbursed, and you will owe for any classes that were held/deferred using the estimated amount.
For Summer Pell Grant you are encouraged to plan your classes with your Academic Advisor, enroll as early as possible in the major/parent semester (as opposed to a mini-term), and not adjust your enrollment once you have enrolled.
Summer Pell Grant Process
- The Summer Pell Grant is automatically awarded to students who are enrolled in 6 credit hours within your program of study.
- Check the status of your Summer Pell Grant on My FA Status in eSantaFe.
- The Financial Aid system updates enrollment for Summer Pell Awards every Tuesday beginning when regular registration opens for summer classes.
- If you need to hold classes and it is near the last day to add or the last day to drop, please notify the Financial Aid Office.
- This process may create a deferment and may hold classes, so be sure to actively drop any classes that you do not want to take.
- Although it may be initially awarded, Summer funding will cancel for students who are not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress when grades post at the end of the Spring semester.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is available to undergraduate Pell Grant recipients demonstrating exceptional need. Because funding is limited this grant is distributed on a first-come-first-served basis based on early FAFSA application date to students with a low Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
After completing the FAFSA and the financial aid process, qualifying students are automatically awarded the FSEOG award based on available funding. There is no need to contact the financial aid office.
Previous recipients of FSEOG may not receive the award every year. Each year EFC and FAFSA application date are used to determine recipients. For the best chance to receive FSEOG complete your FAFSA early.
A minimum enrollment of 6 eligible credit hours per semester is required in order to receive FSEOG. This award will be cancelled if a student is enrolled less than halftime when enrollment is calculated for that semester. You must also meet Satisfactory Academic Progress, not be in default on a federal student loans, or owe a grant repayment. Awards are subject to change if any corrections or changes are made to your file.
Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG)
The Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG) Program is available to degree-seeking, Florida resident, undergraduate students who demonstrate substantial financial need. Because funding is limited this grant is distributed on a first-come-first-served basis based on early FAFSA application date to students with a low Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
After completing the FAFSA and the financial aid process, qualifying students are automatically awarded the FSAG based on available funding. There is no need to contact the financial aid office.
Previous recipients of FSAG may not receive the award every year. Each year EFC and FAFSA application date are used to determine recipients. For the best chance to receive FSAG complete your FAFSA early.
A minimum enrollment of 6 eligible credit hours per semester is required to receive FSAG. This award will be cancelled if a student is enrolled less than halftime when enrollment is calculated for that semester. You must also meet Satisfactory Academic Progress, not be in default on a federal student loans, or owe a grant repayment. Awards are subject to change if any corrections or changes are made to your file.
First Generation Matching Grant (FGMG)
The First Generation Matching Grant (FGMG) program is available to degree-seeking, resident, undergraduate students who demonstrate substantial financial need, and whose parent(s) have not earned a baccalaureate or higher degree.
Each year, the State of Florida and schools must determine if there is enough funding to participate in this program. The Financial Aid Office is informed of the amount of money available to award students for the FGMG after the fall term begins each year, usually in late October.
A minimum enrollment of 6 eligible credit hours per semester is required to receive FGMG. This award will be cancelled if a student is enrolled less than halftime when enrollment is calculated for that semester. You must also meet Satisfactory Academic Progress, not be in default on a federal student loans, or owe a grant repayment. Awards are subject to change if any corrections or changes are made to your file.