Pell Grant

The Federal Pell Grant is a form of gift aid that, typically, does not have to be repaid.

Pell eligibility is determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for each award year. The Pell Grant is available to eligible undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need and have not already earned a bachelor’s or professional degree.

The amount eligible students receive will depend on the student's:

• Student Aid Index (SAI) - calculated from the FAFSA
• Cost of Attendance (COA) - determined by the school for the specific program and period of enrollment
• Enrollment as a full-time or part-time student (enrollment intensity)
• Plans to attend school for a full academic year or less

A student may qualify for a Pell Grant under one of types of eligibility criteria:

1. Maximum Pell Grant eligibility (Max Pell)
2. Calculated Pell Grant eligibility, based on SAI
3. Minimum Pell Grant eligibility (Min Pell)

Pell Grant funding is packaged based on SAI, COA and anticipated enrollment intensity. Pell Grant disbursements are based on actual enrollment intensity at the census for the semester.

The published Maximum Pell Grant for the 2025-2026 Award Year is $7,395.

The published Maximum Pell Grant for the 2026-2027 Award Years is $7,395.

Applicants may qualify for a Maximum Pell Grant based on family size, adjusted gross income (AGI), and poverty guidelines. Students qualifying for a Maximum Pell Grant will have a SAI between negative $1,500 and $0 and a “Max Pell Indicator” on their calculated FAFSA results.

Applicants who do not qualify for a Maximum Pell Grant may still qualify if their calculated SAI is less than the Maximum Pell Grant award for the award year. The applicant’s Pell Grant award for full-time enrollment will be equal to the maximum Pell Grant for the award year minus their SAI. 

The Pell Grant will be adjusted (prorated) if an applicant enrolls in less than full time, or if the applicant’s Cost of Attendance (COA) is less than the calculated Pell Grant award.

Example 1: Eligible for calculated Pell Grant

A student’s calculated SAI is 1,004 and the Pell COA is $14,000. For demonstration purposes, assume the published Max Pell for the award year is $7,395. The school subtracts the student’s calculated SAI from the published Max Pell and rounds the result to the nearest $5.

Max Pell ($7,395) - SAI (1,004) = $6,391 (rounded to $6,390)
Since the calculated Scheduled Award is less than the Pell COA, the school determines the student is eligible for a Scheduled Award of $6,390.


Example 2: Eligible for calculated Pell Grant, capped at COA

A student’s calculated SAI is 1,004 and the Pell COA is $5,000. For demonstration purposes, assume the published Max Pell for the award year is $7,395. The school subtracts the student’s calculated SAI from the published Max Pell and rounds the result to the nearest $5.

Max Pell ($7,395) - SAI (1,004) = $6,391 (rounded to $6,390)
Since the calculated Scheduled Award is greater than the Pell COA, the school determines the student’s Scheduled Award must be capped at the COA. The student is eligible for a Scheduled Award of $5,000.


Example 3: Ineligible for calculated Pell Grant

A student’s calculated SAI is 7,001 and the Pell COA is $9,000. For demonstration purposes, assume the published Max Pell for the award year is $7,395. The school subtracts the student’s calculated SAI from the published Max Pell and rounds the result to the nearest $5.

Max Pell ($7,395) - SAI (7,001) = $394 (rounded to $395)
The published Min Pell for the award year is 10% of the Max Pell, or $740. 
Since this student’s calculated Pell Grant is less than the published Min Pell, the student is not eligible for a calculated Pell Grant. However, the student may still meet eligibility requirements for a Min Pell Grant.

If the student’s calculated Pell Grant is less than the published Min Pell amount for the award year, the student is not eligible for a calculated Pell Grant. However, the student may still meet eligibility requirements for Min Pell based on AGI, family size, state of residence, and poverty guidelines, described previously.

The published Minimum Pell Grant award for the 2025-2026 Award Year is $740.

The published Minimum Pell Grant award for the 2026-20274 Award Year is $740.

The minimum Pell Grant is set at 10% of the maximum award determined for each year, rounded to the nearest $5.

Applicants whose SAI is greater than the maximum Pell Grant award for the award year may still qualify for a Pell Grant, based on family size, AGI, and poverty guidelines. Students qualifying for a Minimum Pell Grant will have a “Min Pell Indicator” on their calculated FAFSA results.

Pell Grants must be spread out in disbursements over the course of a program of study to help meet the student’s cost in each payment period (16-week semester).

For packaging purposes, APU will package based on the higher amount of: 

• Assumed half-time enrollment (50% intensity)
• Anticipated enrollment provided by the student through the Financial Aid Office (FAO)
• Actual enrollment at the time of the financial aid package is confirmed

Once the annual Federal Pell Grant is determined, half of the award will be offered in each semester of the award year and will be prorated for enrollment intensity.

Disbursements made for each semester are based on the applicable enrollment intensity at “census” (the Monday after start). The Pell Grant funds are applied towards allowable semester charges.

Please be aware that: 

• Adding registrations after census will not increase Pell Grant disbursements.
• Any decrease in credit hours, a change in enrollment, or a failure to successfully complete a semester could result in the loss of some or all Federal Student Aid (FSA) funding, in accordance with general Pell and Federal Student Aid provisions. 
• Any changes to the FAFSA data as the result of verification or required corrections made by Financial Aid Services may result in an adjustment to the Pell Grant. 

Enrollment intensity is the percentage of full-time enrollment at which an undergraduate student is enrolled, 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. 

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 in each semester to determine Pell Grant eligibility for disbursement. The census date refers to the point at which a student's 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 the census date, 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:

2025-2026 and 2026-2027 Award Years

• Semester start dates of April, May, and June 2026: In general, students will be packaged with any remaining 2025-2026 eligible funding. If no eligibility exists for 2025-2026 packaging will include any eligible 2026-2027 funding.
• Students for whom the April, May, or June 2026 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% (the equivalent of one and a 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 for the semester during which any additional Pell is disbursed

Lifetime eligibility for the Pell Grant is 600%. The maximum timeframe that eligible students may receive a Pell Grant is for the equivalent of 12 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 a student may receive over their lifetime is limited by federal law to be the equivalent of six years of Pell Grant funding. Since the amount of a maximum scheduled Pell Grant is 100%, the six-year equivalent is 600%.

The maximum amount of Federal Pell Grant funding a student 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.

The scheduled award:

• Is partially determined by using the Student Aid Index (SAI) that is calculated from the information provided on the FAFSA 
• Is the maximum amount for the award year if a student were enrolled full-time for the full school year
• Represents 100% of a student's Pell Grant eligibility for that award year.

Percent used: To determine how much of the maximum six years (600%) of Pell Grant has been used each year, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) compares the actual amount the student received for the award year with their scheduled award amount for the at award year.

The Special Rule for Pell Grants replaced the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants (IASG) and Children of Fallen Heroes (CFH) Awards as well as the resulting award amount. 

Students who meet the eligibility requirements for Pell Grants under the Special Rule in HEA Section 401(c) will receive a Maximum Pell Grant, regardless of their calculated SAI. To receive a Pell Grant based on eligibility under the Special Rule, a student must be:

• The child of a parent or guardian who died in the line of duty while (a) serving on active duty as a member of the Armed Forces on or after September 11, 2001; or (b) actively serving as and performing the duties of a public safety officer
• Less than 33 years old as of the January 1 prior to the award year for which the applicant is applying (e.g., for the 2026-2027 award year, a student must be less than 33 years old as of January 1, 2026, to be eligible).

Students who believe they are eligible for the Pell Grant under the Special Rule, please contact Financial Aid Services at [email protected] or call 855-731-9218 for more information.

Determinations of eligibility/ineligibility will be communicated by email. If a student is determined to be eligible and continues to meet all eligibility criteria, the Pell Grant will carry forward into future academic years.

‘Public safety officer’’ means—

(A) An individual serving a public agency in an official capacity, with or without compensation, as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or chaplain;

(B) An employee of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 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.)

(ii) Are determined by the Director of the FEMA 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 FEMA 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.)

(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.

Student Aid Index (SAI) – An eligibility index number that the Financial Aid Office uses to determine how much federal student aid a student may be eligible to receive, if they attend. The SAI is a result that is calculated based on information provided on the FAFSA.

Cost of Attendance  (COA) – COA is established for use in determining financial need and Federal Student Aid eligibility. It is the estimate of a student’s educational expenses that can include direct costs (those charged directly by the school) and indirect costs (those beyond what the student will pay directly to the school) for one academic year (two terms). It is based on credit hour enrollment, program of study, and housing status.

Scheduled Award - The maximum grant amount a student is eligible to receive for the award year if they are enrolled full time for the full school year.

Annual Award - The annual award is the maximum amount a student would receive during a full academic year based on their enrollment intensity, SAI, and COA. Note: For a full-time student, the annual award will be the same as the scheduled award. A part-time student’s annual award will be less than the scheduled award.

Enrollment Status – Defined by the number of credit hours for which a student is enrolled per semester.