<p>"We want to alert you to a recent change in the law that affects your Federal Pell Grant award for the 2012-2013 school year and beyond. This change limits the total number of years a student may receive a Pell Grant to the equivalent of six years.</p>
<p>Based on our records, you have received more than five years of Pell Grant funding. This means that the amount of your 2012-2013 Pell Grant award will be less than the amount you would have been eligible to receive if the law had not changed. Note that you still may be eligible for other federal, state, and school financial aid. "</p>
<p>Has this affected anyone else? and what are your alternatives?</p>
<p>btw I just wanted to let people know, that yes i have been in college for around 5 years, but I havent been messing about or anything like that. My gpa is 3.5, I got two associates and am working on two bachelors. It was just hard to fit this all in under 6 years while dealing with anxiety disorders, Work, and helping a disabled mother.</p>
<p>So now I am about 5,500 dollars short on my bill, with less than a couple of months to come up with it. If anyone knows anything that could help me...I would greatly appreciate it.</p>
<p>Have you looked at your completed class work to see if you are eligible for graduation?
Taking lOnger than 4 years to graduate is a luxury most students don’t have. You may be eligible to graduate now even though it may not be what you planned.</p>
<p>I apologize if my response is not a popular one…but it is my opinion only.</p>
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<p>I think you have done quite a lot given your situation. Congratulations to you. Having said that…the changes to the Pell grant are likely to remind students that these entitlement grants are for getting a bachelors degree…ONE bachelors degree. Not multiple degrees. While is is terrific you have been able to do so, I have to wonder if you had only gotten ONE associates and ONE bachelors degree, if you would have been able to complete your bachelors in six years or less.</p>
<p>It isn’t just your opinion, Thumper, but the stance that the government is taken. Better get your degree. The Pell Gravy Train is ending for you, OP.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your accomplishments. But as a taxpayer, IMO its time for you to complete ONE bachelor’s and go get a job. It is only fair to others nursing off the federal teat.</p>
<p>btw: My D, who is a rising senior, would love to change her major, and I agree that the new major is probably a better fit, but that just ain’t happening since it would require her to stay longer. She can get out with one degree, and take other courses later – on her own dime – if she still has an interest in the subject.</p>
<p>Its just frustrating that when I started all of this the law said I would have enough time to take it slow…now it suddenly changes. I didn’t feel like I was milking the system either, the law was nine years! that’s twice as long as a bachelors degree should take. So I figured two bachelors ( which was my goal from the beginning ) wouldn’t be that bad of an idea.</p>
<p>Also I started college at 17, but I was finishing high school level courses. I used financial aid for that. Now that i look back I suppose that was a bad idea.</p>
<p>I am going to have to quit my job in order to finish a degree before my pell grant runs out, but at least I will get this done.</p>
<p>I actually am only about two classes shy of a liberal arts degree. However thats not what I am pursuing. I am not going to waste the time, effort, my money, and tax payers money i spent thus far to get a degree that has very little to do with my career.</p>
<p>I am well aware of what I need to do now. Just wish the government realizes this hurts good students just as much as it hurts bad students. I understand saving money, but cutting it from education seems like the worst idea imo.</p>
<p>Less education = less sophisticated country = more jobs sold overseas</p>
<p>I will stop ranting now, and get this figured out. Thanks again everyone</p>
<p>It does not make sense to personalize something that is not personal. There is nothing stopping you from pursuing 2 bachelors or 27 bachelors if that is want you want; you will just have to pay for them. Personally I think that these new regulations are way overdue and a long time coming. You are consciously making a decision to pay for 2 degrees, pay for them. I think that the schools should have kept a closer eye on this a long time ago. There are plenty of people who have to take money into consideration when it comes time to get finished. You are simply just another one of those people. The great thing about college is that it is not going anywhere; you can always go back and get the second degree.</p>
<p>I am with Blue, on this; I sent my daughter to school with the mindset that she was on the 4 year plan. We did not quibble about majors, study abroad programs, choices of what to do during the leave term. Just said, at the end of year 4 we were done.</p>
<p>We’ve told our D that if she wants to do a semester abroad (almost a necessity for a language minor) and that means it takes her an extra semester to graduate, we’ll fund it. But it wouldn’t occur to me to expect the taxpayers to support what is a personal decision.</p>
<p>That is a luxury…all those degrees. The taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook for you not firming up a major and completing it in 5-6 years. Time to wrap up the undergraduate work.</p>
<p>I agree with what all of you are saying. I would have done what you all are saying too had these been the laws for the majority of my time in school.</p>
<p>The thing is I was working full time to pay what financial aid couldnt pay. Not everyone has families support and is able to go to school full time and finish a degree in four years. My sister is a prime example, we both come from a single disabled mother who offers no support ( she actually costs us ) MY sister has been doing one degree part time while working full time and taking care of a child. She is now in the same situation as me. These are the other kind of students this law effects…</p>
<p>it just seems like this is a one size fits all solution for students that do not come from a one size fits all world. </p>
<p>The law is made though, and I will be taking all of your advice and finish one degree as soon as possible.</p>
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<p>Thats great! Studying abroad is a great experience from what i have heard. A friend of mine believes everyone should experience it lol. It really helped her mature.</p>
<p>There is nothing you can do … there is no appeal process. Schools may or may not provide extra grants to help make up for the loss of Pell. The school where I used to work is helping a limited number of students who are just about done with their degrees, and only with the understanding that it is limited to helping them for the semester or two necessary to take the classes required to graduate.</p>
<p>MY email said "Based on our records, you have received more than five years of Pell Grant funding. " but not more than 6 years, does this mean I will get a partial pell grant for this last year?</p>
<p>The law accounts for that somewhat. It isn’t that you can only go 6 years. It’s that you can take up to 600% of Pell. If you’re on a semester system then each semester is 50% of your Pell if you’re full time. If you’re half time then it’s 25% of Pell. Therefore those who are part time and working would be eligible for the same amount as those who go full time. </p>
<p>And not that it’s either here nor there, but I know from personal experience that it’s possible to get two bachelors in 4 years. 5 years if you’re coming in without AP credit.</p>
<p>I was just coming to post what Roman said. So the OP’s sister who has only been going part time for 6 years probably has some eligibility left, but the OP if s/he’s been going full time for nearly 6 years has almost used up their lifetime Pell grant. If you log into the government website and follow the links it will take you to the your % and how much funding you’ve used over your 6 years.</p>
<p>Call your school’s financial aid office and ask how much Pell you have left. The Dept. of Ed. is putting the Pell usage info on your NSLDS record, but it isn’t ready yet … your school has the info, though, and can answer your question.</p>
<p>For those who don’t know, all of your loan information is online at [National</a> Student Loan Data System for Students](<a href=“http://www.nslds.ed.gov%5DNational”>http://www.nslds.ed.gov). By late July, Pell grant usage will also be on this website. You can receive up to 600% Pell for a lifetime.</p>
<p>Fortheo, have you gone to school full time (at least 12 credits) for four years or more? Did you receive Pell every semester? Did you ever receive Pell in the summer? If you can tell me how many semesters you received Pell, and whether or not you had 12+ credits, I can help you get a rough estimate of your usage to date.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses, I am not sure exactly how long my sister has been going for so I probably shouldn’t comment more on that. I will check out that website though cause something isn’t adding up.</p>
<p>Kelsom, i am going through my records now. I know there was a semester that i didn’t go due to health reasons, but I made up for those classes in the summer.</p>
<p><em>edit</em></p>
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<p>I agree completely it is possible. The thing is one of my years was me making up highschool level classes at a community college. So there goes one year. Half of another year i had to drop out of classes do to PTSD ruling my life. There goes a semester. The rest was pretty much full course loads.</p>
<p>I am just going to do what kelsom said and call my financial aid office. I know i am encroaching on the six year line, and though i feel like i do have valid reasons for taking this long…the law is the law and there’s probably not much i can do other than find out how much longer i can receive a pell grant and plan accordingly.</p>
<p>Less education = less sophisticated country = more jobs sold overseas</p>
<p>Oh please. The fact that the gov’t isn’t going to pay for 2 assocs PLUS 2 Bachelors does NOT mean that this country will be “less educated” or “less sophisticated” and that more jobs will be going overseas.</p>
<p>It was your choice and a luxury for you to pursue one of those extra bachelors degrees in a subject that you’re not going to even use. So, how does that lead to “more jobs going overseas”?</p>
<p>6 years of full Pell Grants is about $35k that you’ve been given…plus any other SEOG grants or other federal aid…like subsidized loans. Graduate and get to work. </p>
<p>The fact that Pell awards used to be for 9 years was stupid…thank goodness that idiotic wasteful spending has ended (about $50k).</p>
<p>You used some financial aid to take high school classes while you were high school age- was there a reason why you didn’t attend a free high school?</p>