Grants
Federal Pell Grant
The Federal Pell Grant is a federal entitlement program. It provides free money if you are enrolled in an eligible program of study at approved postsecondary institutions in the United States and abroad. This is a gift aid which usually does not have to be repaid. You may not receive a Federal Pell or any other grant if you already have a bachelor degree. Your eligibility is determined by completing the FAFSA.
The amount of your Federal Pell Grant is based on your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and the number of hours for which you are enrolled. Pell Grant amounts will be adjusted based on enrollment level until the end of the drop/add period for each term.
- A full-time student enrolls for twelve or more hours.
- A three-quarter-time student enrolls for nine to eleven hours.
- A half-time student enrolls for six to eight hours.
- A less than half-time student enrolls for less than six hours.
New Federal regulations require that beginning Fall 2012, students are now limited to 12 semesters (or 600%) of Federal Pell Grant eligibility during their lifetime. This change affects all students regardless of when or where they received their first Federal Pell Grant.
Whether you have used all of your Pell Grant eligibility or not, please be conscious about the lifetime limit of the Pell Grant when changing majors and/or scheduling classes.
How is the Percentage Used Calculated?
The percentages are based off the annual award at fulltime enrollment status. For students with an annual award for 2024-2025 academic year, attending 12 or more credits in each semesters (Fall and Spring for example), the percentage used for the 2024-2025 academic year is 100%. If you only attended 9 credits for two semesters, your percentage used for the academic year would be 75%.
If you have attended college for 4 years or longer and received the Federal Pell Grant each semester of attendance, you are likely to exhaust or have already exhausted your lifetime limit of 12 semesters of Federal Pell Grant eligibility during the 2024-2025 school year.
If you have attended college for 3 years or less and received the Federal Pell Grant each semester of attendance, you will likely not surpass the lifetime during the 2024-2025 school year.
The Department of Education keeps track of your Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU) by adding together the percentages of your Pell Grant scheduled awards that you received for each award year.
How can I check?
You may view your percentage of Pell Grant used by logging into Federal Student Aid. You will need your Federal Student Aid FSA ID to log in. Your 'Lifetime Eligibility Used' percentage will be displayed in the 'Grants' section.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
The FSEOG is awarded to undergraduate students with exceptional financial need -- those with the lowest Expected Family Contribution (EFC) as determined by the FAFSA.
Federal Pell Grant recipients receive priority for FSEOG funds.
Kentucky CAP Grant
CAP Grants help Kentucky's financially needed undergraduate students attend eligible public and private colleges and universities, proprietary schools, and technical colleges.
Student must
- Be a Kentucky resident.
- Have financial need.
- Attend an eligible college.
- Have no past due financial obligations to KHEAA or to any Title IV program.
- Be enrolled at least half-time in a program at least two years in length.
Award
- Up to $2,500.
Visit KHEAA to view criteria.
Application
- FAFSA, which should be completed as soon as possible after October 1. Funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
Enrollment
- For a regular fall/spring term CAP Grant amounts will be adjusted based on enrollment at the end of the drop/add period for each term.
Most states have a grant program. Eligibility may be restricted to state residents attending a college in-state. More information is available at NASFAA.
