Pell Recalculation Policy

Pell Grant Eligibility

There are a variety of circumstances that could impact and change your eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant, including how much you are eligible to receive each semester. Learn more about what the Federal Pell Grant is and how to initially qualify to receive it, visit our Types of Aid: Federal Pell Grant page.

Pell Recalculation Date Enrollment & Pell Refunds & Recalculations Lifetime Limit 

E Grades Repeating Course 2nd Bachelors Withdrawing 

Please note, in cases where your eligibility has changed, we can understand how you may have been counting on those funds received; however, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) is obligated to follow the regulations surrounding Federal Pell Grant eligibility. When it has been determined by our office that a student is not eligible for the Federal Pell Grant, or an adjustment to their Federal Pell Grant must be made, there is no appeal process to regain eligibility.

Pell Recalculation Dates

Pell Recalculation refers to the process in which Pell Grant eligible students with enrollment changes during the semester are reviewed to determine if their Pell Grant needs to be adjusted to reflect current enrollment. In addition, certain types of institutional need-based grants may also be adjusted or canceled  at this time, if not enrolled full-time (12 + units). Learn more about other types of financial aid that may be impacted on Pell Recalculation Dates.

Your Pell Recalculation Date depends on your individual enrollment. See below for dates in which your Federal Pell Grant could be recalculated.

Session Session Start and End Dates Pell Recalculation Date (PRD)
Regular 15-Week Session 8/26/2024 - 12/19/2024

09/09/2024*

Students will begin to see their adjusted aid on their student account at the end of that same week.

Dynamically Dated sessions beginning 9/9 and before also included

First Five-Week Session 8/26/2024  - 9/27/2024
First Seven-Week Session 8/26/2024 - 10/16/2024
Second Five-Week Session 9/30/2024 - 11/01/2024

11/11/2024*

Students will begin to see their adjusted aid on their student account at the end of that same week.

Dynamically Dated sessions beginning 9/10 and later also included

Second Seven-Week Session 10/17/2024 - 12/19/2024
Third Five-Week Session 11/04/2024 - 12/19/2024
Winter Session 12/23/2024 - 1/14/2025

12/23/24*

Students will begin to see their adjusted aid on their student account the week of January 6, 2025.

 

*Enrollment as end of day is used to evaluate and adjust aid

Session Session Start and End Dates Pell Recalculation Date (PRD)
Regular 15-Week Session 01/15/2025 - 05/07/2025

01/28/2025*

Students will begin to see their adjusted aid on their student account at the end of that same week.

 

First Five-Week Session 01/15/2025 - 02/19/2025
First Seven-Week Session 01/15/2025 - 03/07/2025
Second Five-Week Session 2/20/2025 - 04/02/2025

TBD

Students will begin to see their adjusted aid on their student account at the end of that same week.

 

Second Seven-Week Session 03/17/2025 - 05/07/2025
Third Five-Week Session 04/03/2025 - 05/07/2025

How Enrollment Affects Your Federal Pell Grant Award

Starting in the 2024-2025 academic year, the enrollment requirements used to determine a student’s Federal Pell Grant eligibility has changed significantly. The amount of a student’s Pell Grant award will be linked directly to the exact number of units enrolled, instead of being linked to enrollment loads such as 9-11 units for Three-Quarter Time Pell, 6-8 units for Half-Time Pell, and 1-5 units for Less than Half-Time Pell. This is called using the “Enrollment Intensity” rather than using Enrollment Loads. This means the Pell Grant award will be different for a student enrolled in 9 units than a student enrolled in 10 units. While both these students will have an enrollment load of Three-Quarter time for all other aid purposes, their Pell Grant award will differ.

The University of Arizona initially offers the Federal Pell Grant to Undergraduate students, pursuing their first bachelor’s degree, assuming their enrollment intensity will be at 100% (12 units or more) for both the fall and spring semesters. OSFA will automatically adjust the Federal Pell Grant for students with an enrollment intensity less than 100% prior to initially releasing the student's financial aid for the semester. This typically occurs about ten days before the semester begins. Review the table below to see enrollment requirements for the Federal Pell Grant.

Federal Pell Grant CREDIT HOURS

ENROLLMENT LOAD

*prior to the 2024-2025 academic year

ENROLLMENT INTENSITY

*effective for the 2024-2025 academic year

12 (or more) Full-Time (100%) 100% of the scheduled award
11 Three-Quarter Time (75%) 92% of the scheduled award
10 83% of the scheduled award
9 75% of the scheduled award
8 Half Time (50%) 67% of the scheduled award
7 58% of the scheduled award
6 50% of the scheduled award
5 Less Than Half Time (25%) 42% of the scheduled award
4 33% of the scheduled award
3 25% of the scheduled award
2 17% of the scheduled award
1 8% of the scheduled award

A scheduled Federal Pell Grant payment is based on  the Student Aid Index (SAI) as calculated by the FAFSA.

You may only be eligible for a partial award, an amount less than what your enrollment intensity requires, if you are close to your Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility Used (Pell  LEU).

If you drop or withdraw from courses before beginning attendance, you are subject to the Pell Recalculation Policy, the Non-Attendance Policy*, and/or the Withdrawal Policy.

*Pell Recalculation for Non-Attendance: This is required when a student doesn't begin attendance in all classes for a payment period, resulting in a change in the student's enrollment intensity. The Institution is required to recalculate the student's award for that payment period based on the lower enrollment intensity (i.e., the new enrollment not including the course(s) for which the student did not begin attendance.

Refunds and Financial Aid Recalculations

If you receive a refund from the University of Arizona and subsequently change your enrollment, you may be required to repay all or a portion of the refund in addition to charges incurred as a result of your change in financial aid eligibility.

Review financial aid refund information with the Bursar's Office

Pell Lifetime Limit 

There is a limit to the amount of Federal Pell Grant a student can receive over their academic lifetime. Review the frequently asked questions below to learn more about how the timeline of your education can impact your Federal Pell Grant eligibility.

Yes, students can receive the Federal Pell Grant for a total of six equivalent years. A student who receives the Federal Pell Grant in both the fall and spring semesters of an academic year will have used 100% of 1 year of eligibility. 

Students awarded above their lifetime limit will have their Federal Pell Grant either reduced or canceled to prevent an overpayment. 

Depending on when we are notified of an overpayment, our office will be obligated to cancel the Federal Pell Grant that has already been credited to your account or even refunded to you. Unfortunately, this will create a balance on your student Bursar Account that you will need to resolve. When this occurs, you will be notified by our office via your student Catmail account.  

Any reduction or cancellation of the Federal Pell Grant will vary based on the amount and when the student is awarded. 

It is not uncommon for the Federal Pell Grant to have disbursed prior to our office reviewing a student’s remaining eligibility. However, students should review their To-Do items on their UAccess Student Service Center for any notifications.

Students can see their entire Federal Pell Grant history when logging into their StudentAid.gov account. 

Your Student Aid Report (SAR) or FAFSA Submission Summary, that is provided to you once you have submitted your FAFSA, will also inform you if you are at or near your lifetime eligibility. Our office will also send communications to students who have been identified as nearing their lifetime limit via their CatMail and To-Do items.

If you have already received the maximum eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant, you may still have the option to utilize Federal or Private Student Loans to supplement your educational costs. 

For scholarship options, check out Scholarship Universe, our scholarship-matching tool for admitted University of Arizona students.

Receiving an E Grade

Did you receive the Federal Pell Grant for an E grade in one of your courses? Not passing a class can impact more than just your GPA. Here is information about how that grade can impact your Federal Pell Grant eligibility. 

At the end of every semester, students who received one or more E grades are reviewed. If a student has stopped attending and participating in a course (academic related activity), they are no longer eligible to receive the Federal Pell Grant funds associated with that course. This will result in a re-evaluation of the student's Federal Pell Grant eligibility and the student’s enrollment load will be adjusted to only reflect courses the student completed. 

Examples of University of Arizona academic-related activities include but are not limited to physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students.

Acceptable:

  • Exams, quizzes, or tutorials
  • Computer-assisted instruction
  • Completion of an academic assignment, paper, or project
  • Participating in an online discussion about academic matters
  • Initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course
  • University of Arizona required study group where attendance is taken

Not Acceptable:

  • Student's self-certification of attendance that is not supported by school documentation
  • Verification of Enrollment form issued by the Registrar's Office
  • Living in University of Arizona housing
  • Participating in the school’s meal plan
  • Participating in academic counseling or advising

Earned E grades do not negatively affect a student's Federal Pell Grant. As long as a student has completed the duration of their course, and there is substantial activity (recorded by the instructor only) of the student’s participation in the class, the Federal Pell Grant will not be canceled or reduced for that earned E grade. 

Examples of University of Arizona academic-related activities include but are not limited to physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students.

Acceptable:

  • Exams, quizzes, or tutorials
  • Computer-assisted instruction
  • Completion of an academic assignment, paper or project
  • Participating in an online discussion about academic matters
  • Initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course
  • University of Arizona required study group where attendance is taken

Not Acceptable:

  • Student's self-certification of attendance that is not supported by school documentation
  • Verification of Enrollment form issued by the Registrar's Office
  • Living in University of Arizona housing
  • Participating in the school’s meal plan
  • Participating in academic counseling or advising

OSFA is obligated to follow the regulations surrounding Federal Pell Grant eligibility. When it has been determined by our office that a student is not eligible for the Federal Pell Grant, there is no appeal process to regain eligibility. 

Repeating a Class 

Federal regulations limit the number of times a student may repeat a course and receive federal financial aid for that course. Generally, you can receive the Federal Pell Grant when repeating the same course up to two times (if you’ve received a passing grade both times). More information about the repeat coursework policy can be found on our Financial Aid Policy for Repeat Coursework webpage.

Please note, the University of Arizona’s academic repeat policy is different from the federal financial aid repeat regulations. Academic Policies surrounding repeat coursework can be found through the Office of the Registrar.

It depends on the grade earned in the previous attempt:

  • If a student is repeating a course that was previously failed, the student is eligible to receive financial aid for that course.
  • If a student is repeating a course that was previously passed with a D or better (or “Pass” grade), the student can receive financial aid for the repeated course one additional time. This applies even if the student did not receive financial aid when they passed the course previously.
  • Once a student has completed any course twice and earned a passing grade (with a D or better, including “Pass” grade) both times, they are no longer eligible to receive federal financial aid for that course.

If a student retakes a course that is no longer eligible for financial aid, the units are excluded from the total enrollment and the student’s financial aid will be adjusted to exclude these units.

If a student is required to retake a course to meet major/program GPA requirements, or if the student has a personal desire to receive an improved grade, the course still cannot be counted within a student’s enrollment for financial aid purposes. There is no appeal process for situations like this as federal regulations require OSFA to follow these policies. Please note that OSFA does not determine if a student may repeat a class. OSFA can only determine if the student is eligible for federal financial aid for the repeated class(es).

Course Examples

1st Class Attempt

2nd Class Attempt

3rd Class Attempt

Would 3rd attempt be eligible for federal financial aid?

Math 100

E

D

Enrolled

Yes (student passed course one time, eligible for 3rd attempt).

French 102

D

C

Enrolled

No (student passed course twice, not eligible for 3rd attempt).

CHEM 151

D

E

Enrolled

No (student passed course first attempt, on the second attempt they failed, no longer eligible for federal financial aid on 3rd attempt).

ECON 200

W

E

Enrolled

Yes (student has not yet passed course, the 3rd attempt is eligible for federal financial aid).

PHYS 141

E

E

Enrolled

Yes.

 

OSFA will review students who are taking a repeated course and will recalculate their financial aid based on their enrollment load without the repeated course. A student could have their Federal Pell Grant reduced or even canceled depending on the new enrollment load calculated.

OSFA encourages students to speak with their academic advisor about their graduation and enrollment plans. Remember, students may receive financial aid when repeating a course that was previously failed and when repeating a passed course one additional time. Take this into account when enrolling in classes and discuss it with your advisor prior to enrolling in a course. 

Repeat coursework can also have consequences on a student’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) calculation. For more information on how repeat courses are counted for SAP, please see the Financial Aid Policy for Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Getting a 2nd Bachelor's Degree 

Are you pursuing a 2nd bachelor's degree after completing all requirements for a first bachelor degree? Generally speaking, students can only be awarded the Federal Pell Grant for coursework that applies toward their 1st bachelor's degree. Please read our frequently asked questions below to learn more about how obtaining multiple degrees can impact your Federal Pell Grant eligibility.  

No, students who have completed/received their 1st bachelor's degree are not eligible for the Federal Pell Grant. This includes bachelor's degrees obtained from any institution in the United States or internationally. 

The Federal Pell Grant can only be awarded to students who are working on a 1st bachelor's degree. Students who are close to completing their 1st bachelor's degree will only be awarded the Federal Pell Grant for courses taken to complete this degree. If the student completes all courses needed for their 1st bachelor's degree before their graduation date but still has courses they need to take for their sequential degree the student will not receive the Federal Pell Grant for those courses taken for their sequential degree.

Our office identifies students who may have a discrepancy in the information provided on their FAFSA. Students who are identified will have communications sent from our office informing them on how to make the necessary changes to correct their FAFSA. If you notice that you made a mistake prior to our office contacting you, please contact our office to discuss more. 

Withdrawing from Classes

If you are planning and/or have withdrawn from a course(s), it may be necessary to make updates to the amount of the Federal Pell Grant you will receive. Please refer to both the Pell Recalculation Policy information on this page as well as the Withdrawal Policy to learn more. 

Enrollment for the Federal Pell Grant will be recalculated based on confirmed attendance.