A Federal Pell Grant is an award of funds for educational expenses provided by the federal government to undergraduate students whose application information indicates financial need. The Pell grant does not have to be repaid.

The student must complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the academic year he or she plans to attend, identifying SIUC as a possible school of attendance (Federal School Code 001758). A paper FAFSA form, which must be mailed to the federal processors, is available in the Financial Aid Office (FAO). However, FAO recommends that the application be completed on the Internet at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The FAO will receive an electronic report of the results of the application in 2-3 weeks. The student will be provided with a Student Aid Report in paper or electronic form.

The information submitted on the FAFSA is put into a federal formula, which is used to determine the Estimated Family Contribution or EFC. The EFC is the amount of money the Department of Education determines that a family should be able to contribute to a student's education. If the EFC is between 00000 and an upper limit which changes each year, the student is eligible in terms of need for federal assistance. The student can lose this eligibility, however, based upon a lack of Satisfactory Academic Progress, a defaulted student loan, a refund owed the federal government, a prior drug conviction, or other reasons specified by the U.S. Department of Education. Students who have been chosen to complete the verification process (through which information on the FAFSA is verified as accurate by the Financial Aid Office) must complete the verification process before any federal or state financial aid is processed.

All applicants who are determined to be eligible based upon need, and who are not ineligible for some other reason, will receive the Federal Pell Grant.

The amount of the award is determined based upon the student's EFC, the cost of attendance at SIUC, and the number of eligible hours the student is enrolled in each semester. A chart is provided to SIUC each year, which is used to determine the student's full-time Pell award amount, half of which is awarded for the fall semester, and half of which is awarded for the spring semester. Summer Pell is available only if the student has not utilized the entire Pell award during the fall/spring semesters, and meets all other award criteria.

Individualized Learning Program (ILP) courses are not included in the calculation of a student's enrollment hours unless the course is completed and a grade posted during the period required for regular coursework. Students who enroll in ILP courses do not have their ILP course hours included in their Pell grant enrollment calculation until after grades have been posted.