Federal Pell Grant

The Federal Pell Grant is need-based financial aid from the federal government for eligible undergraduate students. It generally does not have to be repaid. Your eligibility is determined using information from your FAFSA, and the amount you receive can change based on how many credits you take that count toward your degree.

Factors used to determine your Pell Grant include:

• Information provided on your FAFSA;
• Your financial need and Student Aid Index (SAI);
• CCC’s Cost of Attendance; and
• Your enrollment intensity, or the number of eligible credits you are taking.

Your Student Aid Index (SAI) is a number calculated from information on your FAFSA that colleges use when determining your eligibility for financial aid. It is not the amount you or your family are expected to pay for college.

Learn More about the Student Aid Index
Learn More about the Cost of Attendance

Pell Grant amounts are set by the federal government and can change from year to year. For the 2026–27 award year, the maximum annual Federal Pell Grant for a full-time student is $7,395. The federal minimum scheduled Pell Grant is $740. Your actual Pell Grant depends on your individual eligibility and enrollment. This means that if you are eligible for the Pell Grant, you may get somewhere between $740 and $7,395 a year. Remember, every student is different. Pell Grants are only given to those with significant financial need. This means not every student will get a Pell Grant. You can see how much Pell Grant money to expect by viewing your offer letter in your myCCC portal. 

Yes. Your Pell Grant is adjusted based on your enrollment intensity. You do not necessarily have to attend full-time to receive a Pell Grant, but the fewer classes you take results in a smaller Pell Grant for that term. Adding or dropping classes can also change your award, depending on when the enrollment change occurs.

Grants generally do not have to be repaid. However, you may have to repay part of a federal grant in certain situations, such as withdrawing from all of your classes or not beginning attendance.

Learn how withdrawing affects your financial aid

Yes. If you qualify for a Federal Pell Grant, you may also be able to receive Pell Grant money for summer classes—even if you already received Pell Grant funds during the fall and spring.

Year-Round Pell allows eligible students to receive up to 150% of their regular yearly Pell Grant amount so they can continue taking classes in the summer.

To qualify for additional summer Pell Grant funds, you must:

• Be eligible for a Pell Grant;
• Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements; and
• Take at least 6 credit hours in the summer if you already received a full-time Pell Grant for both fall and spring.

You do not have to take a full-time summer course load. Because summer courses cover the same material in fewer weeks, the workload can be more intensive. Talk with your Academic Advisor about a schedule that is manageable for you.