Federal Grants
Pell Grant
The PELL Grant is a federally funded program for undergraduate students from low-income families. The amount of the award varies based on the Student Aid Index (SAI) as calculated by the FAFSA. Students may only receive a Federal Pell Grant for 12 full-time semesters (or its equivalent). Students can check their lifetime PELL Grant eligibility by logging into studentaid.gov.
Awards will vary based on enrollment hours (at the end of the add/drop period each term) as illustrated by the table below.
2024-2025 Federal Pell Grant change!
The FAFSA Simplification Act changed the way Pell Grant is calculated. Per the Act, the Pell Grant must be prorated according to the student’s enrollment. Pell Grant Enrollment intensity is the percentage of full-time enrollment at which a student is enrolled, rounded to the nearest whole percent.
2024-2025 Federal Pell Grant
| 2024-2025 Federal Pell Grant | Enrollment Intensity |
|---|---|
| 12 (or more) | 100% |
| 11 | 92% |
| 10 | 83% |
| 9 | 75% |
| 8 | 67% |
| 7 | 58% |
| 6 | 50% |
| 5 | 42% |
| 4 | 33% |
| 3 | 25% |
| 2 | 17% |
| 1 | 8% |
Federal Pell Grant table 2023-2024 and prior
| Number of Hours Enrolled per Term | Percentage of Federal Pell Grant |
|---|---|
| 12+ hours | 100% of award |
| 9-11 hours | 75% of award |
| 6-8 hour | 50% of award |
| 1-5 hours | 25% of award |
FSEOG
The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is a program for undergraduate students from low-income families. Only students who are eligible to receive the Pell Grant, have an EFC of $0, and are enrolled at least half time (6 hours a semester) are considered for the FSEOG. Funding is very limited and not all eligible students are awarded. Awards range from $500 to $1,000 for the academic year.
TEACH
Undergraduate, post-baccalaureate and graduate students may be eligible to receive the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant. Students must complete the FAFSA, be eligible for federal aid, be enrolled in a certification program for a high need teaching field and meet academic achievement requirements (3.25 cumulative GPA).
Students must annually complete TEACH Grant Initial and Subsequent Counseling and sign an Agreement to Serve or Repay (Agreement). In signing the Agreement students agree to teach low-income students in a high-need field for a minimum of four academic years within eight years of completing their program. When a student graduates or withdraws, they must complete TEACH Grant Exit Counseling. Students who do not meet TEACH requirements after graduation must complete TEACH Grant Conversion Counseling.
Due to sequestration, the maximum award amount is adjusted every October 1st and may be less than $4,000. The charts below display undergraduate and graduate enrollment award eligibility:
Undergraduates
| Number of Hours Enrolled per Term | Percentage of Federal TEACH Grant |
| 12+ hours | 100% of award |
| 9-11 hours | 75% of award |
| 6-8 hours | 50% of award |
| 1-5 hours | 25% of award |
Graduates
| Number of Hours Enrolled per Term | Percentage of Federal TEACH Grant |
| 9+ hours | 100% of award |
| 8 hours | 75% of award |
| 5-7 hours | 50% of award |
| 1-4 hours | 25% of award |
Teach grant
The cumulative maximum for TEACH awards are $16,000 for undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students and $8,000 for graduate.
Interested students may apply for the TEACH Grant through UIC’s College of Education by clicking the link below: