can be used to pay your tuition, or, if your tuition is covered by other means, help you buy your books and supplies, or pay your transportation costs. PELL is available only to students who have not earned a bachelor's degree or professional certificate.

Federal Pell Grant Q & A
	What are the eligibility requirements?
	How do I apply?
	How much PELL can I receive?
	Will the number of credits I take and my class attendance have an effect on the amount of PELL I receive?
	What are the deadlines for me to qualify for PELL?
	What if I need money at the beginning of the semester for books and transportation?
	What if I withdraw from a class or classes?
	Can I get PELL for repeating a course?
	Can I get PELL for remedial courses?
	Can I get PELL for summer or winter session classes?
	How long can I receive PELL?

	Have financial need.
	Have a high school diploma, a GED, or have been home-schooled.
	Be enrolled to obtain a degree.
	Be a US citizen, permanent resident or other eligible classification of non-citizen (see Financial Aid Eligibility for Non-Citizens).
	Have a valid Social Security number.
	Make Satisfactory Academic Progress for Federal Student Aid Programs.
	Register with Selective Service, if you are a male between the ages of 18 and 25.
	Certify by signing a FAFSA that you will use any federal student aid funds awarded to you solely for educational purposes.
	Certify by signing a FAFSA that you are not in default of any federal student loan and that you do not owe a repayment of any federal student aid grant.

How do I apply?
Apply for PELL by filing a FAFSA . Refer to the instructions contained on the following pages of this site:

	How Do New Students Apply for Financial Aid?
	How Do Returning Students Re-Apply?

How much PELL can I receive?
PELL amounts vary from year to year according to the total amount of money budgeted by Congress to the program. Your EFC, the number of semesters you attend each academic year, your enrollment status each semester and BMCC's cost of attendance also affect how much PELL you receive each term.

You may receive up to 2 full-time semesters of Pell Grant in any single award year.  In April 2011, the federal government eliminated the additional funding that would allow you to gain access to funding beyond an annual amount based on 2 semesters of full-time enrollment. 

You may not receive PELL funds from more than one school at a time.  If you are attending more than one college or business school for the same semester, you may not receive PELL funds at both schools. If you do receive a Pell payment from more than one school in the same semester, you will have to return one of the payments to the federal government.

During the 2012-13 year, the maximum PELL paid to a full-time student with a "0" EFC is $2775.00 per semester for a maximum of 2 semesters of full-time enrollment. If your EFC is greater than "0" or your enrollment status less than full-time, your PELL will be adjusted downward according to an award schedule. You may find out how much Pell you might receive this semester by going to the Pell Grant Award Schedule page.

You may check your award status on PANTHER -- BMCC's online student information system. Access PANTHER from the BMCC Home Page.

Will the number of credits I take and my class attendance have an effect on the amount of PELL I receive?
Yes. The amount of your Federal Pell Grant is fractionally pro-rated based on your enrollment status each semester. You may determine your enrollment status by counting the number of credits or equated credits for which you have been charged tuition.

To qualify for a Federal Pell Grant award payment, you must begin attendance and maintain your enrollment in your classes. The Office of Financial Aid uses attendance information reported by your instructors to determine whether or not you have actually begun attendance.

What if I need money at the beginning of the semester for books and transportation?
Since Federal Pell Grant awards for the Fall semester are not paid until October and Spring awards not paid until March, the Office of Financial Aid schedules an advance payment of Pell for eligible students at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters. These advance payments are intended to give you a portion of your award at the beginning of the semester to help purchase books and supplies.

The amount of your Pell Advance can be up to $625 but depends on the amount of available Pell Grant remaining after your tuition and fees are paid. In order to provide an advance payment to as many students as possible within the first 2 weeks of classes, the Office of Financial Aid schedules several dates at the beginning of each term for the distribution of the advance. Access the Pell Grant Purchase Advance page of this website for more information.

What if I withdraw from a class or classes?
Financial aid is awarded with the expectation that you attend all the classes for which your awards were intended. If you fail to begin attendance in some or all of your classes but receive a PELL payment for them, you must return this payment immediately to the college.

If you drop a class during the add/drop period or your instructor reports you as never having attended the class, the class(es) will not be counted in calculating your enrollment status and the amount of your Pell Grant disbursement will be reduced. If you receive completion grades in any courses not included when your original Pell Grant award was calculated and disbursed, your award will be recalculated and additional funds issued. If you are paid for a class that your instructor later reports you never attended, you will be required to repay those funds.

If you withdraw from all your classes after receiving a payment, you may have to repay any award amount to which you were not entitled as determined by the college according to federal regulations. In general, once you have received your federal student aid payments, you must remain enrolled through the last day to withdraw for the semester in order not to have to repay some or all of the finds. If you fail to repay any award amount to which you were not entitled, you risk losing eligibility for future federal aid payments.

If you withdraw from all of your classes before a scheduled Pell Grant disbursement, you may be eligible to receive a portion of your Pell Grant based on the number of days you attended classes up to the date you withdrew. If you are eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement, you will receive a letter advising you when you may receive these funds.

Retroactive withdrawals which eliminate any record of your attendance for a term will result in your having to repay all assistance you may have received for that term.

For more information about the effect of withdrawals on your federal financial aid eligibility, click here.

Can I get PELL for repeating a course?
You may receive Pell and other forms of federal aid for repeating previously failed courses. If you are repeating a course that you previously passed, you may receive federal student aid funding for one repeat of that course. In general, if you are repeating a course under the college's Forgiveness Policy, you may receive payments for that course. Remember that repeating a course may limit your ability to meet the Satisfactory Academic Performance requirements for receipt of federal student aid.

Can I get PELL for remedial courses?
You may receive PELL and other forms of federal aid for up to 30 hours of non-credit remedial course work (excluding ESL courses). After you have reached the 30 hour limit on remedial course work, you may not receive PELL or other forms of federal student aid for any additional remedial hours.

Can I get PELL for summer session classes?
You may be eligible receive PELL for attendance in summer session classes. Summer Pell Grants will be paid from any remaining Pell eligibility you may have left over from the prior academic year. [The federal government has eliminated the provisions allowing you additional semesters of Pell within the award year that you could use for summer study.]

The Bursar will attempt to make a PELL estimate that can be applied against your summer tuition charges. However, this may not always be possible. If the Bursar cannot make a summer PELL estimate, you will be required to pay your summer tuition and could receive an appropriate refund at the conclusion of the summer session. Check with the Bursar prior to your summer bill payment deadline to see if a summer PELL estimate is available.

Remember that payment of a summer session Pell Grant depends on your attendance in the classes for which you are enrolled. Dropping or withdrawing from classes may reduce or cancel your award and result in a tuition balance owed the college. If you receive PELL for a class or classes you fail to attend, you will have to return those funds immediately to the college.

How long can I receive PELL?
You may receive PELL for up to the equivalent of 12 full-time semesters. You must continue to meet the standard of Satisfactory Academic Progress for Federal Financial Aid Programs each semester and you can't exceed the limitation of 30 hours of payment for noncredit (non-ESL) remedial course work (see Remedial or Developmental Course work and Eligibility for Federal Financial Aid for more information).