Pell Grant and limitation on degrees?

[m***@anothermessage.com]

Hi, there!

I haven't been able to find some specific answers about an alternative
scenario I am thinking about, but perhaps you can help me to understand
better, so please post to the newsgroup.

Okay, let's suppose that an undergraduate student is elegible to
receive a Pell Grant and that s/he hasn't completed a Bachelor's or
professional degree, is there a limitation for this student to pursue
multiple Associate's and still receive a Pell Grant? As I understand,
the only limits (or at least the logical path to follow) are:

1) Only one Associate's at a time
2) No two Assocate's can be exactly the same, but a student can pursue
one Associate of Arts, one Associate of Science, one Associate of
Aplied Business, one Associate of Liberal Studies, etc.
3) Complete one Associate's in 90 credits attempted, assuming that 60
credits are required for graduation (or less if credits are accepted
from a previous Associate's)

Is there any other limitation I should be aware of?

Before I close, please note that I am not discussing here if studying
multiple Associate's is wise or otherwise; I am just exploring ideas
and nothing else.

Best,

CA "Makberto"

[Steve Blank]

Your scenario is stretching a bit beyond my knowledge, but here are some
basic Pell Grant rules:

1. To be eligible your Expected Family Contribution (EFC)from the FAFSA
must be below 3850. If eligible, the amount of the grant depends on your
EFC and will range from a minimum of $400 to $4,050 for a full-time student.

2. You cannot be receiving Pell Grants from more than one institution at
a time.

3. Once you have acquired a first bachelor's degree you are no longer
eligible for a Pell.

4. There is the "150 percent rule" that limits eligibility to no more
than 150% of the normal time to acquire the degree sought.

5. If you are pursuing multiple degrees at the same time it should not
interfere with receiving a Pell - many student's double-major.

6. The final decision of whether what you want to do will be Pell
eligible throughout your academic pursuits rests with the interpretation
of the rules by the financial aid office of your school, so they are the
best source for your specific questions. If you are considering taking
consecutive degrees, one after another, a school might see a problem
with this at some point.


Steven B. Blank
College Financial Aid Consultants
29 Ives Hill Court
Cheshire, CT 06410
[phone]

Post by m***@anothermessage.com
Hi, there!
I haven't been able to find some specific answers about an alternative
scenario I am thinking about, but perhaps you can help me to understand
better, so please post to the newsgroup.
Okay, let's suppose that an undergraduate student is elegible to
receive a Pell Grant and that s/he hasn't completed a Bachelor's or
professional degree, is there a limitation for this student to pursue
multiple Associate's and still receive a Pell Grant? As I understand,
1) Only one Associate's at a time
2) No two Assocate's can be exactly the same, but a student can pursue
one Associate of Arts, one Associate of Science, one Associate of
Aplied Business, one Associate of Liberal Studies, etc.
3) Complete one Associate's in 90 credits attempted, assuming that 60
credits are required for graduation (or less if credits are accepted
from a previous Associate's)
Is there any other limitation I should be aware of?
Before I close, please note that I am not discussing here if studying
multiple Associate's is wise or otherwise; I am just exploring ideas
and nothing else.
Best,
CA "Makberto"