The maximum 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. The amount of a scheduled Pell Grant students can receive each award year is equal to 100%, therefore, the six-year lifetime equivalent is 600%. The lifetime equivalent includes Pell funding disbursed while enrolled at prior institutions during the academic year and summer. An award year is a period from July 1 of one calendar year to June 30 of the next calendar year. 

Visit StudentAid.gov to view your Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU).

We recommend that students submit a completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually by the March 2 priority deadline for federal, state, and university grant eligibility. Students who file by the priority deadline will not experience an overall grant shortage if they have reached their Pell Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU) limit. The total of all grant awards will remain the same. Students who submit the FAFSA after the March 2 deadline will not be eligible for state and university grant funds, but will still receive remaining Pell Grant eligibility. 

For example, for the 2024-25 academic year, students who have reached their Pell Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU) limit will see that the Pell Grant allocations are higher in quarters/terms where they were eligible to receive the Pell Grant. If the student filed the FAFSA by the March 2 priority deadline, they will receive University Grant funding to cover the shortage created by the Pell limit (see Example 2). The annual eligibility remains accurate and the grant totals will remain the same based on full or limited Pell eligibility. 

Examples

Gunrock Davis filed the FAFSA by the priority deadline and has a Student Aid Index (SAI) of $4,900. The tables below show grant summaries and disbursement schedules for these two scenarios:

• Example 1 reflects grant eligibility if Gunrock is eligible for 100% of the Pell Grant. 
• Example 2 reflects grant revisions based on Gunrock's limited Pell eligibility.

The Department of Education determines the student's eligibility for Pell Grant by reviewing their Free Application for Student Federal Aid (FAFSA). The amount of Pell Grant the student receives is based on the current year's Student Aid Index (SAI), the cost of attendance, whether the student is attending full-time or part-time, and whether the student attends school for a full academic year or less. Please note that students may not receive Pell Grant funds from more than one school at the same time.

FAFSA Simplification and the 2024-25 FAFSA ushered in a new way to determine Pell eligibility. Now families can predict some eligibility prior to completing the FAFSA and full eligibility through FAFSA completion.

Beginning with fall 2024, students are evaluated in three ways and receive the greatest of these Pell amounts:

1. Determine eligibility for maximum Pell.
2. Calculate Pell as the difference between a maximum Pell amount and the Student Aid Index (SAI).
3. Determine eligibility for minimum Pell.

At the same time, the Pell Grant is designated for high-need students, and some students will not be eligible for Pell after completing each of these evaluations. Review these tables to determine eligibility for dependent and independent students:

For information on disbursement rates based on enrollment status, please refer to the chart on our Disbursement and Direct Deposit webpage. 

More information on Pell Grants is available on the Federal Student Aid website.