Federal Pell Grant

Federal Pell Grant

The Federal Pell Grant is the largest federally funded program that is provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Pell Grants are awarded usually only to undergraduate students who have not earned an associate’s, bachelor's, or professional degree. Students who are eligible for a Pell Grant can also receive other forms of gift aid (funds that do not need to be repaid). The FAFSA, which is one of the requirements needed to become eligible for a Pell Grant, is also the application necessary for federal student loans.

Pell Grant Awarding Policy

To qualify for the Pell Grant at Southern University at Shreveport, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the upcoming award year. For the SUSLA Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to provide an aid package, students must include SUSLA’s federal school code (007686) on the FAFSA’s school selection section to ensure our office receives the processed application.

Typically, the FAFSA is available annually beginning October 1st; however, the 2024-2025 FAFSA and 2025-2026 are available annually by December. Pell Grant award criteria are listed below.

Am I eligible for the Pell Grant?

  • Open to US citizens and eligible non-citizens.
  • You must be an eligible student whose Student Aid Index (SAI) is less than or equal to the figure set by the Federal Government for the academic year. 
  • Your SAI is determined from the information that you provide on your FAFSA. (SUSLA’s federal school code is 007686. Our priority deadline is April 14th)
  • You must meet all the eligibility criteria required for receipt of federal aid including Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
  • You must be enrolled in an undergraduate program leading to a certificate or an associate degree.
  • For the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 award years, the Pell Grant annual award ranges between $767 to $7,395 per year.

NOTE: The amount of time a student can receive a Pell Grant has been reduced from 18 semesters to 12 semesters. This change in duration is not limited to students who received their first Federal Pell Grant on or after the 2008-2009 award year, as the HEA previously provided when the duration of eligibility was 18 semesters. The federal government will calculate the equivalency by adding together the annual percentages of a student's scheduled award that was disbursed to the student. The Pell Lifetime Eligibility Usage for qualifying undergraduate students is 600%.

Pell Grant and Enrollment Intensity

Beginning with the 2024-2025 academic year, the Federal Pell Grant will be prorated based on enrollment intensity. Enrollment intensity is determined by the number of credit hours you are enrolled in, in relation to full-time enrollment.

For federal student aid purposes, full-time enrollment for an undergraduate student is 12 credit hours.

The chart below illustrates enrollment intensity relative to full-time enrollment. Note that enrollment intensity cannot exceed 100% for purposes of Pell Grant proration.

Credit Hours

Enrollment Category

(Old)

Enrollment Intensity

(New)

12 or more

Full-Time

100%

11

Three-Quarter Time

92%

10

83%

9

75%

8

Half-Time

67%

7

58%

6

50%

5

Less-than-Half-Time

42%

4

33%

3

25%

2

17%

1

8%

 

You may only be eligible for a partial award if you are close to your Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility Limit (6 years or 600%).

Pell Lifetime Eligibility Usage (PLEU)

The amount of Federal Pell Grant funds a student may receive over a student's lifetime is limited by a new federal law to be the equivalent of six years of Pell Grant funding. Because the maximum amount of Pell Grant funding a student receives each year is equal to 100 percent, the new regulations state that a student may receive up to 12 semesters or the six-year equivalent of 600 percent.

For example, your Pell Grant for the year is $4,000 and you receive $2,000 in the Fall, $1,000 in the Spring, and the remaining $1,000 in the Summer. You have received the entire $4,000 or 100% for the year.

Fall $2,000 (50%)

Spring $1,000 (25%)

Summer $1,000 (25%)

 

Whether a student has used all his or her Pell Grant eligibility or only a portion, the student needs to be conscious of the lifetime limit of the Pell Grant when changing majors and/or scheduling classes; the Pell Grant equivalent of 600 percent will be for the student's entire award history.

You can log in to StudentAid.gov to see if you received a Pell Grant.* We display information about the aid you received, including Pell Grants, on your account Dashboard and My Aid page.

*If you received a Pell Grant before 1994, it won't display in StudentAid.gov, but rest assured we have it in your record.

Declining a Pell Grant

Students have the right to decline all or part of their Pell Grant offers.  To preserve future Pell Grant eligibility, a student may choose to return a previously received Pell Grant offer.  We do not recommend you do this. Students may not return any Pell Grant funds from a prior academic award year. 

To decline your Pell Grant, submit a signed written statement indicating you are declining/returning Pell funds for which you were otherwise eligible and that those funds may not be available once the aid year is over to the SUSLA Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships.

This website uses cookies to ensure site visitors get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies and Privacy Statement. To find out more, please visit Southern University's Privacy Statement.

I agree