Beginning with the 2009-2010 academic year, students are eligible to receive up to 2 scheduled awards (200%) per year of Pell grants. For the summer of 2010, TSTC Waco will pay Federal Pell grants out of the 2009-2010 year (as a "trailer").

If a student receives a full-time (12 hours or more) Pell award for both the Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 semesters, that student will ONLY receive a Pell award for the Summer 2010 semester if he or she is enrolled in 6 or more semester hours for the Summer semester. TSTC will give no consideration to 2010-11 student eligibility when determining Pell awards for Summer 2010.

For the Summer 2011 Semester

For the summer 2011, TSTC Waco will consider the term to be a cross-over payment period and will pay the Federal Pell Grant out of the 2010-2011 or the 2011-2012 award year depending on which award year provides the student with more Federal Pell Grant eligibility; whichever aid year yields the higher payment for the student. Students must have a valid ISIR on file for the year used to determine Federal Pell Grant eligibility.

To maximize your aid eligibility for the Summer 2011 semester:

·         All students interested in receiving federal financial aid for the 2011 summer semester should promptly complete BOTH the 2010-2011 and the 2011-2012 Free Application for Federal Student Aid ("FAFSA").

·         Your initial aid eligibility will be calculated based on the number of financial-aid eligible hours in which you enroll and begin attending prior to the census date of that class and on the information from your 2010-2011 FAFSA. Once your 2011-12 FAFSA has been completed, it will be reviewed for additional Pell eligibility. The 2011-12 FAFSA application must be completed prior to the completion of the summer semester.

·         The FAFSA application that provides the most eligibility for Pell Grant funding will be used to determine your Pell award.

To Receive Two Pells in One Year:

If eligible, a student will be able to receive all or a portion of a second scheduled Federal Pell Grant within an award year

·         For the First Scheduled Federal Pell Grant Award, a student must:

• Be Federal Pell Grant eligible;
• Be enrolled at any enrollment status (full-time, 3/4 time, 1/2 time or less than 1/2 time);
• The amounts received will count toward the aggregate lifetime limit.

·         To Qualify to Receive a Second Scheduled Award within the same award year, a student must:

• Continue to be Federal Pell Grant eligible;
• Meet Academic Year Acceleration (defined below);
• Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of each semester;
• Have received 100% of the First Scheduled Federal Pell Grant Award;
• Be enrolled on at least a half-time basis (six hours for Summer 2011 and thereafter);
• The amounts received will count toward the aggregate lifetime limit.

Academic Year Acceleration:

Beginning with the 2010-2011 award year, students who have used their first scheduled award and enroll and begin attendance in a minimum of 6 credit hours must meet academic year acceleration to be eligible to receive funds from their 2^nd scheduled award. This means that the student must have at least one hour which would go into their second year. Since TSTC Waco defines our academic year as 24 hours, this means that the hours earned for the Fall and Spring semesters plus the hours enrolled for the Summer must equal 25 hours or more.

For example, if a student earns 12 credits in Fall 2010 and 12 credits in spring 2011 and registers for 6 or more credits for the summer 2011, they could receive Pell grant for summer from the 2010-11 or 2011-12 award year, based on whichever will provide the largest scheduled award, providing they are otherwise eligible.

All initial aid for summer will be packaged off the 2010-2011 Free Application for Federal Student Aid  UNLESS we have already received and processed your 2011-2012 FAFSA.

Examples of Academic Year Progression: Fall completed hours + Spring completed hours + summer enrolled hours > 25.

Credits that are not applicable to acceleration and may not count towards the academic year total are:

. Advance placement

. International baccalaureate

. Testing out

. Life experience

. Portfolios

. Other similar competency measures

Remedial credits DO count.

Transfer Students

·        TSTC Waco will use the assumption method to determine acceleration toward the second scheduled Pell award.

·        If a student received 100% of the first Scheduled Award at their prior school(s), we will assume that the student completed the first academic year.

·        If a student received less than 100% of their first Scheduled Award, we will assume that the student completed the same ratio of the academic year as the percentage of the first Scheduled Award utilized at the prior school and that amount must be rounded down.

For the summer terms in all subsequent years, after 2011, the rules applied in summer 2011 will be applied using the correct aid years as determined by federal regulations.

Special Circumstances

The Academic Year completion requirement can be waived if a financial aid administrator determines that the student was unable to complete the hours of the first academic year due to special circumstances beyond the student's control.

Circumstances beyond the student's control may include but are not limited to:

·         Student withdrawing from classes due to a verifiable illness and demonstrates the severity of the illness directly affected the ability to accelerate the student's progression toward degree.

·         Student being unable to register for classes necessary to complete his or her eligible program because classes were not offered.

Special circumstances beyond a student's control does not include:

·         Withdrawing to avoid a particular grade.

·         Failing to register for a necessary class to avoid a particular instructor.

·         Failing to register for a necessary class because the student is/was unable to register and classes are full.

Appeal Process:

·         Determination must be documented and made on a student by student basis

·       Student must submit a statement and supporting documentation which supports they were unable to accelerate their progression because of events beyond their control.

·       Documentation must be sufficient to demonstrate the events were beyond the students control

·       Documentation must include evidence the event was substantial enough to prevent the progression by the student

·       Documentation may be supported by professionals including faculty, counselors, physicians, ministers, or police reports and/or court documentation.

Special Adjustments for children of deceased service members

The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 grants an automatic zero EFC for the Federal Pell Grant Program ONLY to Federal Pell Grant eligible students whose parent or guardian was a member of the Armed Forces and died in Iraq or Afghanistan after September 11, 2001.