Federal Pell Grant
Pell Grants are awarded only to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor’s or professional degree and are enrolled in 1000-level or above and/or approved remedial courses. (A professional degree would include a degree in a field such as pharmacy or dentistry.) For many students, Pell Grants provide a foundation of financial aid to which other aid may be added. Pell Grant awards range from $890 to $4,731 per academic school year (an academic school year is defined as August to May). Note: Students who receive their maximum Pell Grant eligibility during the academic school year will not have any Pell Grant eligibility for the summer term.

To apply for a Federal Pell Grant, a student must first meet the following general eligibility requirements:
• U.S citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Have received a high school diploma, GED or pass the Ability to Benefit Test
• Be enrolled in classes leading to a U.S. Department of Education approved certificate or degree. Check this list for ineligible degree/certificates (PDF) for financial aid purposes.
• Not be in default on a Federal student loan or owe repayment of Pell
• Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (PDF)

Students should start the application process (68Kb. PDF) by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. It is recommended that students complete College of DuPage’s Admission form prior to filing their FAFSA.

If you filed the FAFSA online, the Office of Student Financial Aid should receive your results within two weeks. Our office will then contact you by mail to request additional information that may include, but is not limited to: A College of DuPage financial aid data confirmation sheet and copies of Federal Tax Returns and W-2 information.

Your financial aid specialist may take four to six weeks to process your file after all required documents are submitted. Processing time depends upon the application length and/or corrections. It is strongly suggested that students apply at least 10 weeks before the start of the semester.

Notification of your award:
You will receive an award letter notifying you of your maximum Pell Grant award for the academic school year. If you are not a full-time student then your Pell Grant award will be prorated according to the number of registered hours. Please refer to Understanding Your Financial Aid brochure (PDF) for important information on withdrawing from classes and deadline dates for enrollment. Students who have excessive drops or do not complete 67 percent of their classes (PDf) will risk losing their financial aid.

Withdrawals:
According to the Federal Refund Policy, if you withdraw from all your classes prior to completing 60 percent of the term, you could owe a refund of grant and/or loan funds to College of DuPage and to the federal government. The amount owed will be based upon your grant and/or loan eligibility. As always, please contact the Office of Student Financial Aid prior to dropping classes.

Federal Financial Aid is paid based upon attendance in classes. If you receive a failing grade or withdrawal from class for failure to attend, you may owe a portion or all of your grant and/or loan funds to College of DuPage and the federal government. The date of your last participation in an academically-related course activity determines the period utilized for determining your final award.

Transfer Students:
If you received a Pell Grant at another school during the academic school year, you will have your Pell Grant award will be prorated at College of DuPage. This may result in your not being eligible for the full Pell Grant award or not being eligible at all for a Pell Grant at College of DuPage.