Federal Grants and Work Study Programs

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Federal Pell Grant

Federal Pell Grants provide federal need-based funds to students who meet certain Expected Family Contribution (EFC) guidelines as a result of filing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) AND meet the financial aid basic eligibility requirements. Grants do not require repayment.

Federal Pell Grants are not available to anyone who has received a bachelor’s degree or owes a refund for a previous Federal Pell Grant, or any Title IV Aid Program funds, or is in default of a Federal Stafford Loan, SLS Loan, or PLUS loan.

Students may only receive Federal Pell Grants for the equivalent of twelve (12) semesters of full-time enrollment at any institution. This applies to all students who have ever received a Federal Pell Grant.

Students do not have to be enrolled full-time to receive Pell Grant. Pell funds are initially awarded based on full-time enrollment status, but may be adjusted and disburse a lesser amount based on a student’s current enrollment. Students taking 12 or more credit hours are considered full-time and receive 100% of their term award; 9-11 credit hours is considered ¾ time and receive 75% of the term award; 6-8 credit hours is considered ½ time and receives 50%; and 5 or fewer credit hours is less than ½ time, and received 25% of the term award.

Pell Grant funds are awarded with the assumption that the student will attend and complete the entire term. If a student totally withdraws from school before 60% of the term has been completed, federal regulations require that Federal Pell Grants to be recalculated to determine the portion of the Pell award the student is entitled to. If the student has received Pell Grant funds in excess of this new award amount, he/she may owe a balance back to CTC. If the student has received a financial aid refund for the term they will be notified of any amount to be repaid. Any student who owes a balance due to a financial aid over award will be ineligible for further financial aid assistance until these funds have been repaid. 

Pell Grant and Mini-Terms

U.S. Department of Education mandates that Pell Grant disbursement be made based on the student’s attending hours—not simply the hours (credits) for which a student is registered.

Certain programs/majors at CTC offer classes that do not last the entire semester. Course 1 may last 3 weeks, then the student begins Course 2, then Course 3, etc. (all within the same semester). Pell Grant is paid when attendance begins per class, even though the student may be registered for all classes at the beginning of the term. The student’s Pell would be disbursed in increments. By the end of the semester, the student will have been paid 100% of that semester’s Pell Grant eligibility.

A student who never begins attendance in a class will be refunded tuition and fees associated with that class(es). Additionally, any financial aid awarded or disbursed for that class(es) is also removed.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

The Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) is a federal grant designed to assist those students who demonstrate exceptional financial need. Students do not need to request or apply for this grant separately. Limited funds are available each year. Funds are awarded to Federal Pell Grant eligible students with a zero EFC on a first-come, first-served basis.

Federal Work Study

Under the Federal Work Study (FWS) Program you can work part-time to earn money for your education. The FWS Program:

Provides part-time employment while you are enrolled in school.

Employment hours are scheduled around student’s class schedules.

Student Eligibility Requirements

The Financial Aid Office will award Federal Work-Study (FWS) funds to students who meet the following requirements:

Students must be either U.S. citizens, permanent resident aliens, or other eligible classifications of non-citizen.

Students must have completed the financial aid application process including filing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and must be receiving a Federal Pell Grant.

Students must demonstrate financial need. (Financial need is established by a uniform need analysis evaluation performed by CTC according to the FAFSA.)

Students must be in good academic and financial aid standing with Chattahoochee Tech and maintain satisfactory academic progress.

A background check will be performed on all new work-study students.

Federal Work Study Policy

How to Apply for a FWS Position

Search for positions of interest and complete an application on the Chattahoochee Tech Jobs page.

If you meet the eligibility requirements your application will be forwarded to the appropriate department for review. Interviews will be conducted for select candidates and a hiring decision will be made. Once a background check has been completed, the applicant will be contacted to complete paperwork and schedule a start date.

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