How to Transfer Your Pell Grant to Another School
Seamlessly manage your federal Pell Grant when changing schools. Understand how your financial aid adapts to a new institution.
A Federal Pell Grant provides financial assistance to eligible undergraduate students. This federal aid is portable, meaning it can be utilized at various eligible educational institutions. This guide explains how these grants function during school changes, outlines transfer steps, and details how award amounts may be adjusted.
Understanding How Pell Grants Work with School Changes
Pell Grants are awarded directly to the student for a specific academic year, not to a particular institution. This federal aid program tracks a student’s total usage through a metric called the “Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU).” The LEU is a federal measure that follows the student, limiting total Pell Grant funding to the equivalent of six years, or 600% of the scheduled award.
The Pell Grant award amount is influenced by the student’s enrollment status, such as full-time or half-time, and the Cost of Attendance (COA) at the specific institution for a given payment period. Each school determines its COA, which includes tuition, fees, housing, and other educational expenses. Therefore, a student does not literally “transfer” a block of money from one school to another.
Instead, the student transfers their remaining eligibility for the current award year to the new school. The U.S. Department of Education maintains a record of a student’s Pell Grant usage, which allows for this portability.
Steps to Initiate a Pell Grant Transfer
The initial step in transferring your Pell Grant involves notifying the financial aid office at the school you are leaving. Informing them of your withdrawal and intent to transfer allows them to properly process your departure. This notification helps ensure any necessary adjustments to your financial aid or return of funds are handled correctly.
Next, you must apply to and be accepted by your new institution. Acceptance to the new school is a necessary prerequisite for any financial aid processing to begin at that institution. Once accepted, you will need to update your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Updating your FAFSA online via studentaid.gov is a critical action. You will need to add your new school’s federal school code to your FAFSA, which enables the new institution to access your financial aid information. It is advisable to complete this update promptly to avoid delays in processing your aid at the new school.
After updating your FAFSA, proactively contact the financial aid office at your new school. Discuss with them that you are a transfer student who has received a Pell Grant at a previous institution. Confirm they have received your updated FAFSA and inquire about their specific procedures for Pell Grant recipients transferring mid-year, including any additional forms or documentation they might require.
How Your Pell Grant Award May Be Adjusted
Upon transferring, the new school’s financial aid office will recalculate your Pell Grant eligibility. This recalculation is based on their own Cost of Attendance (COA) and your remaining annual eligibility for the Pell Grant. The amount of Pell Grant funds you have already received and disbursed at your previous school during the same award year will directly reduce the amount available to you at the new institution.
Your enrollment status at the new school also impacts the disbursed amount. A change from full-time to part-time, or vice versa, will alter your grant award, as Pell Grant amounts are prorated based on enrollment intensity. For example, attending less than full-time will result in a proportionally smaller Pell Grant disbursement for that payment period.
Pell Grant funds are typically disbursed by the new institution on a per-semester or per-quarter basis, often after the add/drop period has concluded. If you withdraw from your previous school before completing a payment period, federal regulations may require a “return of funds.” This process might reduce the Pell Grant amount initially awarded, potentially affecting the amount available for your new institution.