Federal Pell Grant is a grant awarded based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from the federal government. Pell grants are determined per federal guidelines and are strictly regulated through federal legislation.

Students may be awarded a Pell Grant in their financial aid notification (FAN) based on their initial Student Aid Index (SAI) as calculated by the FAFSA. 69É«ÇéÊÓƵ typically awards this initial Pell Grant assuming full time enrollment, unless the student has otherwise notified the financial aid office of enrollment plans of less than full time. 

The financial aid office uses a Pell Recalculation Date (PRD) each semester to evaluate your Federal Pell Grant eligibility based on your current enrollment status. If the Pell grant you were initially awarded does not match your current enrollment status as of the PRD, your award will be adjusted accordingly.

The PRD used by DePauw will be the day following the “Adjustment Period” for each term. To find the adjustment period for each term, please view the academic calendar here /academics/academic-resources/advising/registrar/academic-calendar/.

Any classes added after the PRD will not count towards your Federal Pell Grant eligibility, regardless of the start date for the class.

Pell Enrollment Intensity

For students enrolled in credits less than full time, their Federal Pell Grant will be calculated using enrollment intensity. This means that your Pell Grant eligibility will be prorated based on your credits enrolled compared to full time. Each quarter credit under three credits of enrollment will adjust the amount of the Pell Grant.