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My TESU academic evaluation
#21
(07-22-2021, 12:23 AM)studyingfortests Wrote: It is my understanding, from the associate director of financial aid at TESU, that the federal policy has apparently changed.  I'm currently enrolled (July term is my first and last semester, doing the two required courses). My original Pell grant award, which actually showed on my financial accounting statement from TESU, indicated that the Pell grant (1/3 of the total award) would have covered almost all of my 6 credits.  However, I got an email a couple of weeks later saying that they had made a mistake, that 6 credits was no longer full time according to new Federal guidelines, and so I was only eligible for half of the 1/3 disbursement of the Pell funds.

I wrote back and basically said I wasn't happy, as I had called three separate times, spoken to two different people and had one check with a supervisor to verify that the original award was the correct one.  The associate director responded back and said "Yes, I'm sorry, everyone was having difficulty learning the new rules, but that's the case."

She did offer that for students who are enrolled currently or in the August 1st term that if they have been affected by Covid, that there are funds available from the CARES and American Rescue act to colleges that can help out.  I don't know what funds are available or what it takes to get them, but that might be an option for some.

(07-22-2021, 12:55 AM)jch Wrote: I can confirm that LevelUP is incorrect. For Pell Grant purposes at TESU, 6-8CR is half time, 9-11CR is 3/4 time, and 12CR is full time. Taking less than 12 will result in a pro-rated reduction in Pell Grant eligibility. I've verified this with financial aid, and it's also listed in the financial aid handbook here: https://www.tesu.edu/tuition/financial-aid-forms

Thanks, guys! The info is very helpful. I have to reconsider my plan of taking 6 credits since I'm eligible for pell grant.
Sophia.org: 74 LL credits
TEEX: 13 credits (3 UL + 10LL) 
ACTFL: 24 credits (12 LL + 12 UL) 
Community College: 81 LL credits (2 AAs)
WGU: 9 UL credits
UMPI: 42 credits (30 UL + 12 LL)
Study.com 12 credits (6 UL + 6LL)
UMPI BLS, minor in Management. Magna Cum Claude. (May '22)
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#22
(07-22-2021, 12:23 AM)studyingfortests Wrote:
(07-20-2021, 05:30 PM)LevelUP Wrote: If you make under $60,000 a year, you may qualify for the Pell Grant.  (I think it goes by 2020 IRS reported income)  Taking 2 courses at TESU means you are a full-time student according to how the TESU terms are set up. (Pell Grant Award divided by 3 is what you get)  https://studentaid.gov/

It is my understanding, from the associate director of financial aid at TESU, that the federal policy has apparently changed.  I'm currently enrolled (July term is my first and last semester, doing the two required courses). My original Pell grant award, which actually showed on my financial accounting statement from TESU, indicated that the Pell grant (1/3 of the total award) would have covered almost all of my 6 credits.  However, I got an email a couple of weeks later saying that they had made a mistake, that 6 credits was no longer full time according to new Federal guidelines, and so I was only eligible for half of the 1/3 disbursement of the Pell funds.

I wrote back and basically said I wasn't happy, as I had called three separate times, spoken to two different people and had one check with a supervisor to verify that the original award was the correct one.  The associate director responded back and said "Yes, I'm sorry, everyone was having difficulty learning the new rules, but that's the case."

She did offer that for students who are enrolled currently or in the August 1st term that if they have been affected by Covid, that there are funds available from the CARES and American Rescue act to colleges that can help out.  I don't know what funds are available or what it takes to get them, but that might be an option for some.

(07-22-2021, 12:55 AM)jch Wrote: I can confirm that LevelUP is incorrect. For Pell Grant purposes at TESU, 6-8CR is half time, 9-11CR is 3/4 time, and 12CR is full time. Taking less than 12 will result in a pro-rated reduction in Pell Grant eligibility. I've verified this with financial aid, and it's also listed in the financial aid handbook here: https://www.tesu.edu/tuition/financial-aid-forms


This must be something new for the 2021 school year.

I attached the TESU FA policy from 2020.  

They were using Pell Grant formula 3 for TESU based on their non-standard terms, I have attached how they did the Pell Grant formula.


Attached Files
.pdf   pellgrantpercentage TESU forumla 3.pdf (Size: 45.39 KB / Downloads: 14)
.pdf   Title-IV-HEA-TESU-FA-Policy.pdf (Size: 313.93 KB / Downloads: 6)
Degrees: BA Computer Science, BS Business Administration with a concentration in CIS, AS Natural Science & Math, TESU. 4.0 GPA 2022.
Course Experience:  CLEP, Instantcert, Sophia.org, Study.com, Straighterline.com, Onlinedegree.org, Saylor.org, Csmlearn.com, and TEL Learning.
Certifications: W3Schools PHP, Google IT Support, Google Digital Marketing, Google Project Management
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#23
(07-22-2021, 01:43 AM)LevelUP Wrote: This must be something new for the 2021 school year.

I attached the TESU FA policy from 2020.  

They were using Pell Grant formula 3 for TESU based on their non-standard terms, I have attached how they did the Pell Grant formula.

It's my understanding this is brand new for FY21-22, which started July 1st. That is apparently at least part of what led to the confusion.
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#24
Looking through my emails, I received this clarifying message in June from finaid@tesu.edu
Quote:Dear (student),

Our records indicate that you have been awarded a Federal Pell grant. You may notice something different this year. The award amount that shows for the year could be as high as $ 9,742 with $3,248 per term showing over three terms. But you would receive the $ 3,248 only if you went 12 credits in the term. If you only took 6 credits you would be disbursed $ 1,623. This is because of something known as "Year Round Pell".

Normally, the Pell grant is awarded for up to the student's annual entitlement and the award is based on the number of credits taken per term and the term's award is prorated based on that credit load. Students taking 12 or more credits per term are considered full time, 9 to 11 credits are considered three quarter time, 6 to 8 half-time and 1 to 5 less than half-time. If a student's annual Pell entitlement is $ 6,000, was awarded four terms (for example, July, October, January, and April), and took 6 credits each term they would be entitled to $ 1,500 each term. Whether you went for two terms as a full-time student or four terms as a half-time student you would be entitled to the full $ 6,000.

However, the Department of Education is now allowing students eligibility for 150% of those who plan to enroll beyond their scheduled Pell grant for an award year. In the example above, if the student was full-time in July and again in October, then they would have exhausted their annual full-time enrollment. If they registered at least half-time in a remaining term they would then be eligible for the remaining 150% of their Pell award (this is sometimes referred to as "Year Round Pell").

Please note though that your Pell awards will initially be configured as though you will be utilizing your full time Pell eligibility. If your annual entitlement is $ 6,000 and you were awarded July/October/January/April, you would see $ 3,000 in the July, October and January terms totaling $ 9,000. If you only registered for 6 credits in July, you would only be entitled to a normal half-time award and only $ 1,500 would be disbursed and $ 2,250 if going 9 credits. You will still be reviewed for possible Year Round Pell in subsequent semesters after the term's aid transmits.

Therefore, if you were awarded $ 3,248.00 for July 2021, you would only receive that amount if you registered for 12 credits in the term. If you only registered for 6 credits in July, your eligible Pell disbursement would be $ 1,623 while your tuition charges would be $ 2,394. You would still be responsible for $ 771 which could be covered by a Federal Direct Loan our through your own resources.

We realize this is a new process and we just want our students to be aware of the best way to plan for paying for their education. Please let us know if you have any questions, and best of luck in the academic year.

Sincerely,

James M. Owens
Director of Financial Aid
TESU Class of 2024 BSBA-CIS+GM, BSIT, ASNSM-CS+Math, AAS-GEN
Earned credits from Sophia, SDC, ASU ULC, TEEX, Microsoft, Strayer, TESU, Saylor, DSST, CLEP, CompTIA, StraighterLine, and others since starting in April 2020
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