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Federal Grants

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Federal Pell Grant

Federal Pell Grants are usually awarded only to undergraduate students who have financial need. A Federal Pell Grant does not need to be repaid and may be available to students for up to the equivalent of six academic years.

Review the Pell Grant on Student Aid for full details, including how to apply; award amounts; how to maintain eligibility. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, does not have to be repaid, except under certain circumstances.

Eligibility and Amount

Federal Pell Grants are awarded to undergraduate students eligible for Federal Aid who have financial need and who have not earned a bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree. Students in some postbaccalaureate teaching credential programs may also qualify.

The US Department of Education determines your Federal Pell Grant eligibility and the amount you receive will depend on your eligibility calculated on the FAFSA.

Beginning with the 2024–25 award year, a student may qualify for a Pell Grant under one of three sets of eligibility criteria:

  • Maximum Pell Grant eligibility (Max Pell)
  • Minimum Pell Grant eligibility (Min Pell)
  • Calculated Pell Grant eligibility, based on SAI

Schools will use additional information on the FAFSA to determine whether students qualify for Max Pell, Min Pell, or a Calculated Pell Grant. Actual Pell Grant award amounts are unique to individual students and are based upon and limited by the student's Enrollment Intensity, Student Aid Index (SAI), Cost of Attendance (COA), and Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU).

Enrollment Requirements

CSUF awards Pell Grant funds based on full-time enrollment (12 units). As you add and drop units, your Pell Grant will increase or decrease based upon your enrollment status. The final amount of Pell Grant that you will receive in any semester will be based upon your official enrollment as measured at University Census, which is the last day of the add/drop period. This occurs at the end of the fourth week of the semester. At Census, CSUF takes a snapshot of all students' enrollment which becomes your official University enrollment status.

Generally, your final Pell Grant payment for a semester is based upon the following units enrolled:

Pell Grant payment for a semester
Units Enrolled Percent Disbursed Enrollment Status Equivalent
12 or more 100% Full-Time
11 92% Three-Quarter Time
10 83% Three-Quarter Time
9 75% Three-Quarter Time
8 67% Half-Time
7 58% Half-Time
6 50% Half-Time
5 42% Less-than-Half-Time
4 33% Less-than-Half-Time
3 25% Less-than-Half-Time
2 17% Less-than-Half-Time
1 8% Less-than-Half-Time
0 0% Not Enrolled

Pell Grant Limits

Eligible students can receive Pell Grant funding for up to six academic years (12 full-time semesters) or the equivalent. This total includes Pell Grant received at all institutions attended – and is retroactive. You cannot appeal this federal regulation or request an extension. Log in to Student Aid to review the total amount of Pell grant you have received.

Students cannot receive aid at two institutions at the same time. For example, if you are attending both CSUF and a Community College at the same time, you can only receive financial aid at one institution. 

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Federal TEACH Grant

The TEACH Grant Program provides grants to students who intend to teach full time in a high-need field at a public or private elementary or secondary school that the U.S. Department of Education has designated as having a high concentration of students from low-income families. The grant is available for select undergraduate and graduate programs at CSUF, and requires the recipient to agree to fulfill certain teaching obligations or risk having the grant convert to an Unsubsidized Loan.

Eligibility and Amount

The TEACH Grant Program provides grants of up to $4,000.*

In order to be considered for the TEACH Grant, you must have filed a FAFSA, and you must be admitted to and enrolled in a TEACH-eligible program and coursework, maintain a 3.25 GPA or scored 75% in single subject admission score (GRE, SAT, ACT. etc)

*The Budget Control Act of 2011 (the sequester law) requires a reduction in the TEACH Grant award amount for which a student would otherwise have been eligible. For any TEACH Grant with a first disbursement after Oct. 1, 2020 the award amount must be reduced by 5.7 percent.

TEACH Obligation

Each award year, a TEACH Grant recipient must sign an Agreement to Serve (ATS) that explains that the recipient must teach for four years within eight years of completing (or ceasing) enrollment in a TEACH Grant eligible program as a full-time highly qualified teacher in a low-income elementary or secondary school in a high-need field. According to contractual obligations, a minimum of fifty percent of classes taught must be in a high-need field. The grant will convert to an unsubsidized loan in the future, if contracted teaching obligations are not met. If this happens, interest accrual will be effective as of the date of the first TEACH disbursement.

The TEACH grant is not included in financial aid offers, but can be offered retroactively to eligible students during the award year. Specific eligible education programs have been determined in conjunction with the College of Education.

How to Apply for the TEACH Grant

Once you have completed the FAFSA, follow these three steps to apply for the TEACH Grant:

  1. Complete the CSUF TEACH Grant Certification 
  2. Complete the Online TEACH Grant Counseling
  3. Complete the Agreement to Serve (ATS)

Meet with the TEACH Grant Representative from the CSUF College of Education if you are an Undergraduate to get second page signed off.

Once all steps have been completed, Financial Aid will review your eligibility and process your request. Funds from the TEACH Grant are not released until after Census, once your enrollment for the semester has been finalized.

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Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is a grant that is awarded to students who demonstrate the greatest financial need. The grant is awarded  to undergraduate students and funded by  U.S. Department of Education.

Eligibility Requirements

  1. Complete a FAFSA by the deadline of March 3, 2025
  2. U.S. Citizens or Eligible Non-Citizens
  3. Undergraduates
  4. Have not earned a bachelor's or professional degree
  5. Be Pell eligible

Award Amounts Depends On:

  1. Funding availability
  2. Demonstrate financial need
  3. Priority is given to Pell Grant recipients
Maximum Federal FSEOG Annual Award at CSUF
$800

Disbursements 

To receive the full award, students need to meet full-time enrollment. To learn more about disursement visit After Applying for Financial Aid.

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