Eligibility
Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually to apply for all federal and state financial aid awards, including the Federal Pell Grant and Federal Student Loans. Students receiving a Pell Grant may receive them for as many as 12 semesters of full-time enrollment (or the equivalent if enrolled part-time). It is highly recommended that summer students sign up for at least six credit hours.
Annual Maximum Awards
The "Award Year" refers to the specific enrollment period. The normal/typical award year at Virginia Peninsula is the fall and spring semesters (currently the 2023-2024 year). Award years begin July 1 and end June 30.
For the 2023-2024 award year (July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024), the maximum scheduled Pell Grant is $7,395 for undergraduate students enrolled full-time (12 or more financial aid eligible credits) based on eligibility determined from the FAFSA. If full-time fall and spring, the award amount in this example would be $3,698 and $3,697, respectively.
Year-Round Pell Grant (2nd Pell Summer)
A federal program that allows students to receive an additional Pell Grant during the summer term who used 100% of their first Pell Grant for the current award year. To receive an additional summer term Pell Grant, students must be enrolled at least half-time (six or more financial aid-eligible credits). Students who did not enroll full-time fall and/or spring may be eligible to receive a Pell Grant (from their original award) for summer if enrolled less than half-time.
The maximum amount can change each award year and depends on program funding. The amount you get will depend not only on your financial need but also on your costs to attend school, your status as a full-time or part-time student, and your plans to attend school for a full academic year or less.
Summer Eligibility Limit & Disbursement
The 2024 summer session will be attached to the 2023-2024 academic year. Students interested in receiving financial aid for summer must complete the 2023-2024 FAFSA and a Federal Direct Student Loan Request form (i.e., Loan Request form if needing to borrow for summer school). The student loan request form is available on our Student Forms page if you need a summer federal student loan.
The Financial Aid Office will begin accepting and processing forms for aid for summer 2024 tuition and fee expenses on March 25, 2024. Please plan your classes by reviewing the summer class schedule (priority registration begins on March 18, followed by open enrollment on March 25). Your initial aid eligibility will be calculated based on your projected enrollment, as noted on your summer request form and your 2023-2024 FAFSA information.
Please remember that a "visiting" or "transient" student (pursuing a degree at another college and who is taking classes at Virginia Peninsula Community College (VPCC) with the intention of transferring their summer course(s) back to their home institution) is not eligible for financial aid from VPCC.
If you are eligible, a student will be able to receive a portion of a Pell Grant award during the summer 2024 semester. For the Pell Grant Award, a student must:
- Be Pell Grant Eligible
- Be enrolled in a financial aid-eligible program of study at Virginia Peninsula
- Only taking classes that are required for your program of study at Virginia Peninsula
- See above for 2nd Pell Summer information and eligibility
The amounts received will count toward the aggregate lifetime limit.