Federal Aid

Will I ever be able to find out what my actual percentage used is? Our Financial Aid Counselors will help you determine your current percentage used.

Why would the government make this change? To save money and increase accountability of federal funds. The change in the Pell Grant lifetime limit from 900% to 600% will help reduce the federal deficit.

But my EFC is in Pell awarding range-Even though you may have a Pell eligible EFC, if you have used your 600% (12 semester) lifetime limit of Pell Grant, you are no longer eligible.

But my Student Aid Report says I am Pell eligible-Even though your Student Aid Report states you have a Pell eligible EFC and will be awarded Pell Grant, if you have used your 600% (12 semesters) lifetime limit of Pell Grant, you are no longer eligible. The Department of Education is working on making the necessary changes in their system so that students' lifetime usage is correctly calculated and will send out revised Student Aid Reports to reflect your corrected lifetime percentage used.  

But I have been out of school for years….. The federal Pell Grant program began over 30 years ago and since this change limits the use of Pell during a student’s lifetime, all awards in your history of receiving the Pell Grant are included when determining your percentage used.

What is Davenport going to do about this?

             Communication: We are making every effort possible to notify our students receiving Pell Grants about the new lifetime limit through e-mail, web information, student eNews and a notice in award letters.

              In late April institutions will begin receiving weekly reports from the Department of Education listing students who have exceeded 450% of Pell Grant eligibility. Once Davenport begins receiving these reports we will contact those students who have exceeded 450% of their Pell Grant eligibility.

              Alternative funding options: We are looking into various options to help those who will lose their Pell Grant for the 2012-2013 school year. Some of these options are Davenport Scholarships [2], Foundation Scholarships [3], Outside Scholarships [4] and Work-Study opportunities [5]. You also may have loan eligibility that can help you substitute the Pell Grant, see our page on Loans [6] for more information.

              Davenport Pell Replacement Grant: Students who have attended during the 2011-2012 school year and will lose Pell Grant eligibility for the 2012-2013 school year will be given an institutional grant during the Fall and Winter semesters of 2012-2013 school year only. It is named the Davenport Pell Replacement Grant (DPRG). If you are eligible for this grant, it will be listed on your award letter. The grant will replace what you would have received (based on your EFC) in Pell Grant at 100% for Fall and 50% for Winter semester. For example: If you are enrolled full-time and your annual Pell Grant would have been $4,000 the Davenport Replacement Grant would be awarded at $2,000 (100% of your semester award) for Fall 2012 and $1,000 (50% of your semester award) for Winter 2013.

               Keep in mind that just as the Pell Grant adjusts with your enrollment status, so will the Davenport Replacement Grant. Using the example above, attending half-time, your award for Fall 2012 would be $1,000 and Winter 2013 would be $500.

               Students whose 2012-2013 EFC in the range of 4,996-5,273 will also receive the Davenport Pell Replacement Grant. Congress changed the funding formula making students with EFCs in this range ineligible for Pell Grant, even though the student would have been Pell Grant eligible in 2011-2012. As mentioned above, students will receive 100% replacement in Fall 2012 and 50% replacement in Winter 2013.

How can I make sure I finish my degree before I use my lifetime Pell eligibility? Advisors and Financial Aid Counselors are available to assist you in planning out the remainder of your degree using financial aid.

Who can I talk to about this?  Financial Aid Counselors are ready and want to talk with you about your Pell Grant lifetime percentage used. If you have exceeded or will be exceeding the lifetime limit soon, we want to help you plan out the rest of your education at Davenport. Please click here [7] for contact information for our Financial Aid Counselors.