Pell Grant available for summer

Students who worry about paying for summer classes may have a new outlook on the situation as of summer of 2010.

It was announced at the Faculty Senate meeting on Friday by Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Studies Brian Posler that the Federal Pell Grant will now be available to students during the summer.

Freshman political science and history major Isaac Scott hadn’t heard about the Pell Grant summer availability yet and was surprised.

He said that he might be more willing to take summer courses now with the new financial assistance available.

“Possibly, but if so back home. At like Ivy Tech,” Scott said.

The federal government approved the Pell Grant for summer classes as part of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA).

The summer Pell Grant will be available not only to USI students, but to students all over the U.S.

“It’s nationwide and going to happen all over the country,” Posler said.

Posler said there will be an additional semester of funding for those eligible and that students need to talk to the financial aid officers to see if they qualify.

“For the typical student, if they are eligible for fall and spring, they will be eligible for the summer,” Posler said.

According to Posler, the grant is based on each individual’s financial situation or their parents if they are dependent.

Posler added that unless something changes from spring to summer, the grant availability will most likely not change for students.

“It can’t hurt anybody to go check (at the Financial Aid Office),” Posler said.

The grant also depends on a student’s course load.

If a student is full time in the spring and takes at least 12 credit hours, he or she will receive $2,000. If a student only takes nine credit hours, he or she will receive $1,500.

In other words, if students don’t take a full class load, they don’t get the full Pell Grant amount Posler said.

For 2011, the Pell Grant eligibility for the summer will be decided by the FAFSA. For this year alone, though, students will need to go to the Financial Aid Office if they are interested in the summer Pell Grant.

There are no limits as to the number of grants available to the university.

For more information on summer courses and financial aid, students can check out

www.usi.edu/summer/faq.asp

Because the Pell Grant will now be offered year round, there will be a higher demand in classes and students may not be able to sign up last minute.

While he doubts that the summer grant will ever disappear, Posler said that it really depends on the economic situation, and that the summer grant is “no more or less safe than other Pells.”

Zach Evans contributed to this story.