If the Pell amount has already posted (usually aid posts 10 days prior to start of term) then might it be too late to add a class to get past 12 credits and have the amount of grant change?
Or is the $872 still listed as “anticipated aid”?
At my son’s school, the Pell grant is automatically adjusted based on the number of credit hours the student ends up taking (for a semester-based school, full amount for 12 or more credits, 3/4 for 9-11, 1/2 for 6-8).
Okay, you guys were right, since I’m only taking 10 credits, I only get $872 from the grant. Which is not helpful. I had gotten a second job last semester and saved every penny, only $250, and since I’m taking the same number of classes as last semester (Credits didn’t occur to me), that I’d only have to pay $300 or so. I was excited. No more monthly tuition payments. But now I’m going to have to pay $598 out of pocket, PLUS textbooks. I looked into adding a 3 credit class (13 credits total), a 2 credit class (12 credits) this is actually $10 cheaper for me but since the class isn’t required it’s just a waste of time. I tried dropping the class that is screwing me over (a single credit class - swimming), and adding a 3 credit class so I’m at 12 credits just like last semester. This is actually $110 cheaper in regards to tuition. But I’d need to get a textbook for the class, so it’d end up being more expensive anyway. Plus it’s a class I don’t want to take and I REALLY wanna take this swimming course.
I’m required to take a Health/phys ed course, the 3 credit class that’d make tuition cheaper is a brand new class, and I know I’d need a new edition book ($150 at least), the 3 credit class is an elective. An elective is required, but there’s a different elective I’d like to take instead. There’s nothing I can really do to make this semester cheaper for me. It’s too late to get any more grants or scholarships (asked financial aid if there’s any available, none for me unfortunately). I’m very, VERY frustrated over this.
Paying attention to details is important.
My kids have been renting their textbooks lately, through Amazon, and there are other rental companies, too. Costs have been $14-$28 for the semester, much less than purchasing. Definitely check into renting books, even for your other classes, it could save you some$.
Share a book with a classmate and move on. You get it MWF, your friend gets it T, TH, Saturday, and on Sunday you alternate. And you’ve learned a lesson about reading the fine print.
renting or sharing as mentioned above would work.
Also…there are classes that “count” but don’t have text books. My kids took a jogging class and a weight lifting class. I once took a gymnastics class and a dance class. No books.
Find two 1 credit classes or one 2 credit classes that don’t require books.
Too late for OP
It’s not too late if it’s federal aid, is it? I thought Pell was an entitlement that you either qualify for or you don’t. It’s not distributed on a first come, first served basis, is it? I thought that a student who qualified for Pell would get a partial amount for part-time study, but if they switched to a full course load the grant would increase to the full amount.
@austinmshauri That is correct. My son added a course last semester and his Pell gramt was automatically increased from 3/4 to full time.
Thank you, @kidzncatz. There are too many rules. 
It’s not too late for federal aid.
The student may have asked the FA office if there were any other aid sources. The student may not have directly asked if Pell would be increased if he took 12 credits. Or the person he talked to didn’t know the correct answer.
BTW…why are you only taking less than 12 credits??? You could end up being in danger of running out of aid before you graduate.
Yes, I rent textbooks when I can. Though it’s not much cheaper in my experience. I tried to add a class that didn’t require a textbook, and it’d be two credits. But that would only save me like $12. It was pointless so I just decided forget it.
The grant I get is a Pell grant. And you are correct. But the grant is only $1,162 at most (since I’m technically part time I’m only getting the $872 or whatever it is). Anything beyond that I’m paying out of pocket. Since my tuition is like $1470 I’m paying $598 out of pocket. When I added a 2 credit class (which didn’t require a textbook), I was gonna be paying $585 or so out of pocket. It was pointless, I’d rather use the time I would spend in class, working.
The only classes I have left are paralegal classes, other than my health/phys Ed class. And I didn’t realize how much this would screw me over. The terrible class schedules (which are terribly planned and limit the number of classes I can take per semester because classes overlap) really make things difficult.
Well after this semester I’ve only got 4 classes left. I’m dying to graduate already and get out into the work force. Hopefully I don’t have to deal with all this next semester, I’m going to try to get a better paying job in the meantime.
I’m a girl, btw. And I did ask both those questions actually. I know the grant will go from the $872 (or whatever it is) up to the $1162 if I take 12 credits. I asked about that. And I also asked if there were any more scholarships/grants I could apply for. Since the pay date is Wednesday, the person at financial aid said its not only too late, but there aren’t any scholarships that I could use that’s left.
But I’m not taking 12 credits because it’d cost me more out of pocket. I can’t even afford the $600 I’ll be paying on Wednesday with textbooks. In all technicality if I drop the swimming class (single credit) and exchange it for a 3 credit class, I’d be paying $500 out of pocket, but then I’ll have to buy a textbook for that class. Which I know is $180 or so in the school store, it’s a brand new book. I even looked around online I can’t find the book any cheaper than $150 or so. And I don’t even want to take that class, it’s an elective.
Because of how the classes are scheduled I can only take 3 paralegal courses, I can take the other, new, paralegal course (the 3 credit class I’ve been talking about) or the swimming class. Can’t afford to take both at the same time. I need to take an HPE class, I’d like for it to be the swimming course. I don’t need to take the new paralegal course, it’s an elective and I can take something other than that, which is what I plan on doing.