Federal Grants
There are two available federal grants: the Federal Pell Grant and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant.
Federal Pell Grant
Federal Pell Grants are awarded to undergraduate students, based on financial need, who have not earned a bachelor’s, graduate or professional degree. The Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, does not have to be repaid. Award eligibility and amounts depend on a student’s *Student Aid Index (SAI) as calculated using the student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the cost of attendance, full or part-time enrollment status, and whether the student attends for the full academic year. Maximum award amounts change yearly.
For further information please follow this link: https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/grants/pell
Pell Recalculation Policy
The Excelsior University Office of Financial Aid will use the sixteenth (16th) day from the student’s last registered course start date in an enrollment period as the point when a student’s enrollment level is frozen and the final review for calculation/recalculation of Pell is performed (excepting any subsequent Return of Title IV situations).
A student’s Freeze Date will be determined based on their specific enrollment pattern during each period of enrollment and the latest start date of a course during that period. For example, if a student is registered for courses in both the first and second 8-week modules of a trimester, final recalculation of Pell Grant eligibility would be determined on the sixteenth day of the second module.
If a student is enrolled in 15-week courses only, final recalculation of Pell Grant eligibility would be determined on the sixteenth day of the trimester. If a student later adds a course in the second 8-week module of the trimester, the student’s date of final review for calculation/recalculation of Pell would become the sixteenth day of the second module.
Federal regulations also require Excelsior to recalculate eligibility when a student fails to commence a course used to award a Federal Pell Grant. Students who cancel or withdraw from all courses in an enrollment period may be subject to a recalculation of all federal aid, based on the amount of time attended.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program
Undergraduates who have exceptional financial need may be eligible for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) Program. This program assists Federal Pell Grant recipients with the lowest SAI (Student Aid Index.) Like Federal Pell Grants, the FSEOG does not have to be repaid. Eligibility is dependent on availability of funding as well as other factors which you can learn more about with the following link.
*The Department of Education has changed the wording surrounding Estimated Family Contribution (EFC). For award years 2023-2024 and before, it is referred to as Estimated Family Contribution (EFC). For award years 2024-2025 and beyond, it is referred to as Student Aid Index (SAI).
