Since Federal Pell Grant awards for the Fall semester are not paid until November and Spring awards not paid until April, 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 $500 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 two dates at the beginning of each term for the distribution of the advance. You must meet the conditions in one of the 2 columns of the Fall or Spring chart to receive an advance payment for either semester.

If you have chosen the direct deposit option to receive your financial aid disbursements, your Pell Advance will appear in your account on one of the above dates. If you are receiving a check, it will be mailed to your home on the scheduled date. Eligible students will be sent a notification from the Bursar's Office before the scheduled distribution date.

These payments do not represent any additional financial aid. Students who receive these advance payments will have the amount of this payment deducted from their regular Federal Pell Grant disbursements in November and April.