Summer Financial Aid
Pell Grants & the Summer 2026 Semester
Pell Grants are available year-round for eligible undergraduate students. The Office of Financial Aid will automatically determine student eligibility for year-round Pell funding based on your summer enrollment.
What are the eligibility requirements for Summer Pell Grants?
- Completed 2026-2027 FAFSA;
- Determined Pell Grant eligible;
- Enrolled in Summer classes;
- Meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) ; and
- Have remaining Pell lifetime eligibility
Please keep in mind:
- Your summer award will be calculated based upon the number of credits in which you are enrolled for the summer semester.
- Eligible students may receive Pell awards for the fall, spring and summer terms in the academic year.
- Pell Grants do not cover the full cost of attending classes in the summer.
- The maximum timeframe that students may receive Federal Pell Grant is the equivalent of twelve full-time semesters.
How does the Year-Round Pell Grant Program Work?
Pell-eligible students attending year-round can be awarded up to 3 full-time semesters (150%) of Pell Grants per award year (fall, spring & summer). Students who attend full-time (12 credits) for the fall (50% of annual award) and spring (50% of annual award) semesters may be eligible for an additional 50% of their annual award if enrolled full-time during the summer semester.
These are scenarios describing how Year-Round Pell eligibility is determined for a -1500 SAI:
Scenario 1 | Summer 2026 | Fall 2026 | Spring 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
Enrollment | 12 credits | 12 credits | 12 credits |
Pell award | $3698 (50%) | $3697 (50%) | $3697 (50%) |
Scenario 2 | Summer 2026 | Fall 2026 | Spring 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
Enrollment | 12 credits | 12 credits | 6 credits |
Pell award | $3697 (50%) | $3698 (50%) | $1849 (25%) |
Scenario 3 | Summer 2026 | Fall 2026 | Spring 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
Enrollment | 12 credits | 12 credits | 3 credits |
Pell award | $3697 (50%) | $3698 (50%) | $924 (12.5%) |
Important Note: The amount of Federal Pell Grant funds a student may receive over their lifetime is limited by a federal law to be 600% (equivalent of 12 full-time semesters). Once a student's Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU) reaches 600%, the student can no longer receive Pell Grant funding. The federal government allows for no exceptions to this cap.
How is Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU) calculated?
Credits Attempted per Semester/Session | Lifetime Eligibility Used |
|---|---|
Full-time enrollment (12 or more credits) | 50.0% |
Three-quarter time enrollment (9-11 credits) | 37.5% |
Half-time enrollment (6-8 credits) | 25.0% |
Less than half-time enrollment (1-5 credits) | 12.5% |
Direct Loans & the Summer 2026 Semester
What are the eligibility requirements for Summer Direct loans?
- Completed 2026-2027 FAFSA
- Enrolled at least half-time (6 credits for undergraduates and 5 credits for graduates)
- Loan eligibility is calculated based on one third of the annual loan limit.
- Parents – If eligible and interested in a Parent PLUS loan, your undergraduate student must be enrolled in 6 credits.
- To apply for a summer loan, please complete the Summer Loan Request Form.
What if I decide to drop a class or withdraw from a Summer 2026 session?
Changes in enrollment can have a significant impact on your eligibility for Summer financial aid. Your eligibility for summer aid is based on both the number of credits you are enrolled for and the timeframe (5 or 10 weeks) for which you are enrolled.
The recalculation of summer aid is based on several factors, such as the timing of the withdrawal, whether you are dropping out of a Summer session entirely or whether you are dropping one Summer session but adding or keeping another Summer session in your summer term.
If enrollment changes occur after the start of the semester this may create a debit balance, i.e. a bill on your student account.
Here are a few scenarios denoting the impact of enrollment changes:
Scenario 1 – You’re enrolled for 3 credits in the first 5 week Summer session and 6 credits in the second 5 week Summer session. If you drop your first 5 week Summer session class before the session begins (or during the drop/add period), but retain at least 6 credits of enrollment in the second Summer 5 week session, the financial aid office will ask for active confirmation of your intent to remain enrolled in the second 5 week session. If you plan to attend the second 5 week session, your aid budget for the summer will be reduced from 10 weeks to 5 weeks and will encompass costs for 6 credits instead of 9 credits.
Scenario 2 – You’re enrolled for 3 credits in the first 5 week Summer session and 3 credits in the second Summer 5 week session. If you withdraw (after the drop/add period is over) from your first 5 week Summer session class, but remain enrolled in the second Summer 5 week session that has not yet begun, the financial aid office will ask for active confirmation of your intent to remain enrolled in the second Summer 5 week session. If you plan to attend the second Summer 5 week session, your aid will not change. However if you do not attend the second Summer 5 week session, your aid budget for the summer will be reduced from 10 weeks to 5 weeks and a Title IV aid pro-ration will be performed to determine the amount of aid you are entitled to keep for the amount of time you were enrolled in the first 5 week Summer session.
Scenario 3 – You’re enrolled for 3 credits in the first 5 week Summer session and 4 credits in the second Summer 5 week session. You complete the first 5 week Summer session class, but decide to drop the second Summer 5 week session course during the break between the two 5 week summer sessions. Your financial aid budget will remain at 10 weeks. If you are receiving Pell Grant funding, the Pell Grant will be reduced to the amount you were entitled to receive for your first 5 week Summer session enrollment only. The financial aid office will then perform a Title IV aid pro-ration calculation to determine the amount of aid you are entitled to keep for the period of time you were actually enrolled.
If I withdraw from a session (5 week or 10 week) how will I know if my funding is subject to the U.S. Department of Education’s return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation?
Here’s a decision tree to illustrate when R2T4 is applicable for federal student aid recipients:
Step A: Once the session or semester started, did the student stop attending the classes they were enrolled in?
- This is not a withdrawal.
- Go to Step B.
Step B: If a student was enrolled in multiple classes, did they stop attending one class or all of their classes?
- One class. This is not a withdrawal; however, an award recalculation may be applicable.
- All classes. Go to Step C.
Step C: Did the student confirm attendance in another session beginning later in the Summer semester?
- This is not a withdrawal unless the student does not return to classes in the later Summer session.
- This is a withdrawal and the Return of Title IV Funds requirements apply.
This information does not cover every unique scenario, therefore if you have questions please contact the Office of Financial Aid prior to making any enrollment changes.