Financial Aid stole Pell Grant?

kelsmom
Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:49:50 +0000

First of all … your wife will not lose her Pell grant in the end IF she is eligible to receive it. The aid office is probably pulling it back because they see that either 1) she may receive her degree at the end of this term, based on the number of credits she has, and they don’t want to give her Pell if she continues to take classes beyond the point at which she has earned her degree (yes, it happens!) or 2) she is close to earning credits in excess of the 150% or exceeding the allowable maximum timeframe for her degree - in which case she would be in vioation of SAP rules & therefore no longer eligible for aid.

Your might wish to check her attitude if it is like yours, then request to speak with a manager in the office. She should calmly and politely explain what has happened, providing copies of the emails she has received. The manager can either straighten out the problem, or explain why your wife’s aid is currently in limbo.

Managing the Pell program is a big deal, as awarding Pell when it should not be awarded can result in fines. Schools have to do everything they can to safeguard against paying out Pell in error, and this can sometimes inconvenience individual students. In the end, though, if she is eligible she will receive her award.