Federal Financial Aid Assistance

Students must meet the eligibility requirements which include:

• A current FAFSA on file with an eligible Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
• Submitted all required documentation requested from the Financial Aid office including but not limited to verification documentation
• Not in loan default
• Maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
• An eligible citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Must be enrolled in an eligible program of study for Title IV financial aid (the Pell Grant is awarded only to first-time undergraduates)

The Pell award is the foundation of the student's financial aid package. Therefore, students requesting financial assistance during their enrollment are required to establish Federal Pell Grant eligibility before additional determination of funds eligibility is made and/ or awarded. In order to determine eligibility for any federal financial aid program, students must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and have the results sent to TTC.

TTC must have an official expected family contribution (EFC) before eligibility for any fund may be determined. Students who qualify for a Pell Grant may receive a grant as high as $5,920 or as low as $593. Students are notified of the Pell Grant eligibility through an email indicating that their financial aid awards have been posted to the Financial Aid Self-Service module.

Students who are enrolled on a less-than-half-time basis may receive a Pell Grant. The enrollment status of students is not determined until after the end of the Drop/Add period of each term and the Never Attended Period. At that time, the actual amount of Pell Grant is transmitted for each student. Disbursement occurs only when the enrollment matches the appropriate Pell award.

Pell awards are recalculated when there is a change in the EFC, when the enrollment status changes between terms within the same award year, and when the cost of attendance changes. Credit hours enrolled are monitored through the end of the Drop/Add period and the Never Attended Period. Changes in enrollment status during this period will result in a change in Pell eligibility if credit hours enrolled are reduced. However, no Pell adjustments are made after transmittal unless it is a result of R2T4, which refers to the calculation required when a recipient of Title IV aid withdraws from an institution during a payment period/period of enrollment.

Students must submit the FAFSA and have electronic data submitted as early as possible to allow time to process the award. Students who submit eligible Student Aid Reports (SARs), or have electronic Pell data submitted to TTC after the end of an enrollment period for which the student met all the necessary criteria, will receive a retroactive (late) award provided the student's file is complete prior to the last day of classes for the academic year but falls within the 120-day eligibility period. Students who do not use their entire Pell allocation during the Fall and Spring semesters may use the balance during the following summer period if eligible.

Students whose SARs indicate near Pell lifetime eligibility (LEU) are notified by email of their eligibility at the time of awarding. At the end of each semester, as part of the reconciliation process, the Pell Coordinator updates the electronic file with the percentage that the student has used since initial awarding. Students who have met the Pell LEU of 600% are notified via email and they are not awarded. The notification refers to the guidance provided by the Department of Education. In this case, the Pell Grant is not awarded even though the FAFSA may reflect some eligibility. 

The amount of Federal Pell Grant for which a student may be eligible is determined using the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the student's FAFSA calculation, the TTC Cost of Attendance (COA), the annual Federal Pell Grant Eligibility Chart published by the US Education Department, the student's enrollment status (number of credit hours in a semester) and other federal eligibility criteria including Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) status.

Current amounts for full time (12 or more hours) are:

• Students must first be Pell Grant eligible to receive the FSEOG Grant (see above).
  NOTE: Not all students who receive the Pell Grant will receive the FSEOG Grant.
• The FSEOG grant pays based on the number of credit hours enrolled but must be enrolled in at least 1 eligible credit hour per semester.
• This grant has limited funds, which is why it is important to complete the FAFSA early. Students must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at studentaid.gov and have the results sent to TTC.
• Students with the greatest need who are enrolled full time typically receive $500 for Fall and Spring semesters.
• FSEOG grants are awarded only to students who qualify for a Pell Grant with priority given to students who are full need, completed the FAFSA the earliest and submitted any required paperwork to the Financial Aid office.

• Students must submit a FAFSA for every academic year and must submit any required documentation if needed by the Financial Aid office. Since each FAFSA requires prior-prior year taxes, there is no guarantee that a Pell Grant would be identical in different years.
• Students must maintain Student Academic Progress (SAP), be in an eligible program of study and enrolled in at least 1 eligible credit hour in their eligible program, and meet all other eligibility requirements. 
• Students who demonstrate exceptional need according to their Student Aid Index (SAI) and have a fully completed FAFSA, could be strong candidates for the award. It is always best to complete the FAFSA early since the funds are limited.