Publication Date: April 8, 2010
| DCL ID: | P-10-03 |
Subject: REVISED 2010-2011 Federal Pell Grant Payment and Disbursement Schedules
Summary: The attachments to this letter contain Revised 2010-2011 Award Year Federal Pell Grant Program Payment and Disbursement Schedules that must be used for all 2010-2011 Federal Pell Grant award calculations. These revised schedules are required because of changes made by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.
As noted in the Dear Colleague Letter dated April 2, 2010 (DCL GEN-10-5 and P-10-02), the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (HCERA) modified, beginning with the 2010-2011 Award Year, the calculation for determining a student’s Federal Pell Grant award. Attached to this letter are revised 2010-2011 Pell Grant Payment and Disbursement Schedules that replace the schedules that were published on January 13, 2010 (see DCL P-10-01). These revised schedules must be used for all 2010-2011 Federal Pell Grant award calculations, including those for students who may have already been awarded based on the January 13 schedules.
The HCERA did not increase the maximum Pell Grant award amount of $5,550 for 2010-2011. However, it did increase the maximum Expected Family Contribution (EFC) for Pell Grant eligibility from 4617, as was used in the January 13 schedules, to 5273. This change makes Pell Grants available to more students. The attached schedules include additional columns to reflect the higher EFC eligibility ranges.
While the change made by the HCERA did not eliminate a Scheduled Award for any student who had one on the January 13 schedules, it did reduce the amount of the Scheduled Award for the small number of students whose Pell Grant Cost of Attendance (calculated on a full-time, full academic year basis) is less than the Pell Grant maximum of $5,550.
In summary –
- The Scheduled Award for any student whose Pell Grant Cost of Attendance is equal to or greater than $5,550 and whose EFC is between zero and 4617 is not changed from the January schedules.
- Any student with an EFC of between 4618 and 5273 and whose Pell Grant Cost of Attendance is equal to or greater than $5,550 will now be Pell Grant eligible.
- Some students whose Pell Grant Cost of Attendance is between $4,900 and $5,549 and whose EFC is between 4618 and 5273 will now have a Scheduled Award.
- Students whose Pell Grant Cost of Attendance is less than $5,550 and who had a Scheduled Award under the January 13 schedules will continue to have a Scheduled Award but for lower amounts.
Attached are PDF and Excel versions of the Revised Federal Pell Grant Payment and Disbursement Schedules for the 2010-2011 Award Year. As noted, all 2010-2011 Federal Pell Grant awards must be based on the attached schedules, including for those students who may have already been awarded based on the January 13 schedules.
As we did for the January 13 schedules, because of the additional cells needed to support the extended eligible EFCs, we are presenting each of the schedules (full-time, three-quarter-time, half-time, and less-than-half-time) on two pages.
In a forthcoming Electronic Announcement, we will provide schools with information on the implementation of the Revised 2010-2011 Pell Grant schedules into our systems. Please monitor the Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) Web site for this communication.
We appreciate your continued support in making Federal Pell Grant assistance available to students. If you have any questions regarding the Revised 2010-2011 Federal Pell Grant Payment and Disbursement Schedules, please contact our Research and Customer Care Center staff. Staff is available Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) at 1-800-433-7327. After hours calls will be accepted by an automated voice response system. Callers leaving their names and phone numbers will receive a return call the next business day. Alternatively, you may fax an inquiry to the Research and Customer Care Center at (202) 275-5532, or e-mail the Care Center at fsa.customer.support@ed.gov.
Sincerely,
William J. Taggart
Chief Operating Officer