Last Revision: April 25, 2025
Enrollment Intensity Definitions & Requirements for Federal Pell Grant
Enrollment Intensity Definition
APUS assesses enrollment intensity on a semester basis.
Enrollment intensity is the percentage of full-time enrollment at which an undergraduate student is enrolled in each 16-week semester, rounded to the nearest whole percent.
For example, if full-time enrollment is 12 credit hours and a student is enrolled in 7 credit hours, the enrollment intensity would be 7÷12×100% = 58.3% (round to 58%). Refer to the chart below for determining enrollment intensity, per semester.
| Enrolled Credit Hours (per semester) | Enrollment Status | Enrollment Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| 12 (or more) | Full-Time | 100% |
| 11 | Three-Quarter Time | 92% |
| 10 | Three-Quarter Time | 83% |
| 9 | Three-Quarter Time | 75% |
| 8 | Half-Time | 67% |
| 7 | Half-Time | 58% |
| 6 | Half-Time | 50% |
| 5 | Less than Half-Time | 42% |
| 4 | Less than Half-Time | 33% |
| 3 | Less than Half-Time | 25% |
| 2 | Less than Half-Time | 17% |
| 1 | Less than Half-Time | 8% |
Enrollment Requirements for the Pell Grant
For each semester, Pell Grant awards and disbursements will be prorated for enrollment intensity
- Students using Federal Student Aid (FSA) to pay for any educational costs must take courses that fall within the semesters of their FSA academic year. A student's enrollment status (the number of credits registered for in a semester) will influence the amount of FSA they will receive.
- Pell Grant Disbursements are based on actual enrollment intensity at "Census" (the second Monday of each semester) and will not increase for registrations added after this date.
- Courses (credit hours) dropped after Census, and for which Pell was received, will require a Pell Recalculation and may result in a reduction or loss of Pell Grant funding.
- All registrations should be in place before the start of each semester and no later than Census. Students with no registrations in place by census will have their FSA adjusted or cancelled for the semester.
- Any changes to enrollment status may impact aid eligibility or require an adjustment to the financial aid package and disbursements. Questions regarding enrollment status changes and FSA should be directed to Financial Aid Advising by emailing [email protected] or by calling 877-755-2787.
Important Notes
Enrollment for the Pell Grant is assessed uniquely for FSA. To learn more, please refer to the Enrollment Status Definitions & Requirements for FSA.
Student status for VA Benefits is assessed uniquely. For information regarding how student status is assessed for VA Benefits, please refer to the Enrollment Status Definitions and Requirements for VA Benefits