Losing or Repaying a Pell Grant

These are super easy to apply and receive but contrary to popular belief, they can be lost and in some cases, you might have to pay them back. However, keeping your pell grant is simple if you follow a few basic steps.

Attendance

First of all you have to attend school, and while that may sound like a no brainer you would be surprised at how many people fail to attend the required number of days. Each college will be slightly different on their attendance policy, in fact, each of your professors may vary a bit but you will know up front how many days you are allowed to miss.

Grades

You do not have to keep a perfect grade point average but you will be expected to carry a 2.0 average. This part of your eligibility is non-negotiable and if your grades fall below a certain point you will get a letter placing you on academic probation. Be very careful of your grades.

Time Frame

You will have a specific period in which to complete your studies and keep your pell grant. The Federal guidelines say that you can take no longer than 150% of the allotted time to finish your study. If you go over this amount through either failing classes or withdrawing, you will be ineligible for this grant.

Complete Your Courses

Finally, you must complete your courses, and again this may sound simple but things can happen to derail the best-laid plans. Most colleges will require that you finish close to 70% of your courses with a satisfactory grade.

Warning

In addition to paying back the funds to the Federal government, you could have to reimburse the college for the courses you do not complete satisfactorily. The school accepts your application and gives you one of a limited number of seats in a class, when you do not complete the class and they are not paid by the Federal program many times they will expect payment from you. Check with your school for rules on this when you apply for admittance.