Chapter	2
Calculating	Pell	Grants
Pell	Grant	Scheduled	Awards	are	based	on	information	provided	on	the	FAFSA	form,	the	presence	of	a	valid	Student	Aid
Index	(SAI)	on	the	student9s	FAFSA	Submission	Summary	or	ISIR,	the	academic	year	structure	(see	Volume	3,	Chapter	1),
and	the	Pell	Grant	cost	of	attendance	(COA)	for	a	full-time	student	for	a	full	academic	year	(see	Volume	3,	Chapter	2).	For
term-based	programs,	awards	for	part-time	students	are	adjusted	based	on	a	student9s	enrollment	intensity.
Scheduled	Award,	Award	Year,	and	Annual	Award
The	Scheduled	Award	is	the	maximum	amount	a	student	can	receive	during	the	award	year	if	the	student	attends	full
time	for	a	full	academic	year.	The	award	year	begins	on	July	1	of	one	year	and	ends	on	June	30	of	the	next	year.	For
example,	the	2025-26	award	year	begins	July	1,	2025,	and	ends	June	30,	2026.	The	student9s	Scheduled	Award	is
established	by	the	school	using	the	student9s	Pell	Grant	COA	and	the	information	received	on	the	student9s	ISIR,	which	will
include	the	student9s	Pell	Grant	eligibility	and	SAI.
The	annual	award	is	the	maximum	amount	a	student	would	receive	during	a	full	academic	year	based	on	enrollment
intensity	and	COA.	Note	that	for	a	full-time	student,	the	annual	award	will	be	the	same	as	the	Scheduled	Award.	A	part-
time	student	who	is	enrolled	in	a	term-based	program	will	have	an	annual	award	that	is	less	than	the	Scheduled	Award.
Published	Maximum	and	Minimum	Pell	Grant	Award	Amounts
The	maximum	Pell	Grant	award	amount	is	determined	by	the	appropriation	Act	applicable	to	that	award	year.	The
Department	will	announce	the	maximum	Pell	Grant	award	amount	for	the	award	year,	as	required,	when	the	amount	is
available.	The	minimum	Pell	Grant	award	amount	will	be	10%	of	the	maximum	Pell	Grant	award	amount	for	the	award
year.	Both	the	maximum	and	minimum	award	amounts	will	be	rounded	to	the	nearest	$5.	You	should	refer	to	the
Knowledge	Center	for	the	most	updated	information.
Pell	Grant	Eligibility	Criteria
A	student	may	qualify	for	a	Pell	Grant	under	one	of	three	sets	of	eligibility	criteria:
Maximum	Pell	Grant	eligibility	(Max	Pell)
Minimum	Pell	Grant	eligibility	(Min	Pell)
Calculated	Pell	Grant	eligibility,	based	on	SAI
If	FPS	has	determined	that	a	student's	ISIR	transaction	is	eligible	for	a	Pell	Grant,	the	<Pell	Grant	Eligibility	Flag=	will	be	set
to	<Y=.	Schools	will	use	additional	information	on	the	ISIR	to	determine	whether	students	qualify	for	Max	Pell,	Min	Pell,	or	a
Calculated	Pell	Grant.	Actual	Pell	Grant	award	amounts	are	unique	to	individual	students	and	are	based	upon	and	limited
by	the	student's	enrollment	intensity,	SAI,	COA,	and	Lifetime	Eligibility	Used	(LEU).	For	more	on	LEU,	see	Chapter	8	of	this
volume.
Maximum	Pell	Grant	Eligibility	Criteria
This	section	describes	eligibility	criteria	to	qualify	for	a	Max	Pell	Grant	and	the	<Max	Pell	Indicator=	value	that	you	will	see
on	the	student9s	ISIR.
Dependent	Student
Note:/Examples	use	fictional	maximum	($7,500)	and	minimum	($750)	Pell	Grant	award	amounts	for
demonstration	purposes	only.	Award	amounts	in	examples	in	this	volume	should	not	be	used	in	packaging	Pell
Grants	for	the	2025-26	award	year.
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