Federal Pell Grant
Pell is a need-based, undergraduate grant program funded by the federal government. Award amounts vary by expected family contribution (EFC) and enrollment status. Awards are initially offered based on full-year, full-time enrollment and are prorated for students who enroll less than full time.
To be considered for an award, students must:
- Complete the FAFSA (no additional application is required)
- Have a qualifying EFC
- Be admitted to VCU as a degree-seeking undergraduate student
- Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
- Demonstrate financial need
- Maintain satisfactoryacademic progress (SAP)
- Meet all requirements for federal Title IV financial aid programs
- Not be enrolled in a program leading to a second baccalaureate degree
Year-Round Pell
An eligible student may now receive a full Federal Pell Grant for summer even if they received a full Federal Pell Grant during the fall and spring semesters. Year-round Pell allows students to receive up to 150 percent of a regular grant award over the course of the academic year so that they can continue taking classes in the summer and finish their degrees faster than they would otherwise. With careful planning, Pell Grant recipients may take advantage of this new regulation to earn their degree faster.
Note: The provisions of the new law state that any Pell Grant received will be included in determining the student’s Pell Grant duration of eligibility and Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU). To be eligible for additional Pell Grant funds:
- Student must be otherwise eligible to receive Pell Grant funds for the payment period
- Student must be enrolled at least half-time in the payment period(s) (six credit hours) during the summer term
- Student must be maintaining satisfactory academic progress
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
SEOG is a need-based, undergraduate grant program funded by the federal government. The award amount is $500 for new students and $1,000 for continuing students.
To be considered, students must meet all the requirements for a Pell Grant and demonstrate exceptional financial need.
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education
The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant program provides annual awards up to $4,000 to eligible undergraduate and graduate students who agree to teach full time in high-need subject areas in low-income areas for a minimum of four years, within eight years of graduation.
High-need fields include:
- Math
- Science
- Foreign language
- Bilingual education
- Special education
- Reading
- Other subject-shortage areas listed in the Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing
Schools serving low-income students include any private or public elementary or secondary school listed in the Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits.
To receive a TEACH Grant, students must:
- Complete the FAFSA, although demonstrated financial need is not required
- Complete the 2023-2024 Teach Grant Application
- Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
- Be admitted to VCU as an undergraduate, post-baccalaureate or graduate student
- Enroll in coursework necessary to begin a career in teaching
- Meet certain academic requirements such as scoring above the 75th percentile on a college admission test or maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25
- Sign aTEACH Grant Agreement to Serve each year of the grant
For students who fail to fulfill service requirements, grants are converted to direct unsubsidized Stafford loans with interest accrued from the award date.
Commonwealth Award
The Virginia Commonwealth Award is a need-based undergraduate grant program for Virginia residents, funded by the state government. Award amounts range from$2,400 to $5,200 per academic year.
To be automatically considered for an award, students must:
- Complete the FAFSA (no additional application is required)
- Be admitted to VCU as a degree-seeking undergraduate
- Be enrolled in six or more credit hours each semester
- Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
- Be a domiciliary resident of Virginia
- Demonstrate financial need
- Maintain satisfactoryacademic progress (SAP)
Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program
Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program, or VGAP, is a need- and merit-based undergraduate grant program for Virginia residents funded by the state government. Award amounts are based on full-year, full-time enrollment and range from $4,800 to $10,406.
To be automatically considered for an award, students must:
- Complete the FAFSA (no additional application is required)
- Be admitted to VCU as a degree-seeking undergraduate student
- Be enrolled in 12 or more credit hours each semester
- Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
- Be a domiciliary resident of Virginia
- Graduate from a Virginia high school
- Have at least a cumulative high school GPA of 2.5
- Maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA at VCU
- Maintain satisfactoryacademic progress (SAP)
- Demonstrate financial need
Renewal
Awards may be renewed for up to three additional years provided that the student:
- Complete the FAFSA for each financial aid award year
- Maintains continuous full-time enrollment
- Maintains domiciliary residency in Virginia
- Demonstrates continued financial need
- Maintains a college grade point average of at least 2.0
- Maintains the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards
- Has advanced class levels upon completion of each year of award received (VGAP is restricted to no more than one year - 12 months - per class level - FR, SO, JR, SR)
Students who fail to meet the criterial for VGAP renewal will lose eligibility indefinitely, but can be considered for other state grant aid programs for which they may qualify.
Two-Year College Transfer Grant
Students who complete their associate degree at a Virginia two-year public college and transfer to VCU may receive the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
The grant provides $1,000 for all eligible students, with an extra $1,000 for students who pursue undergraduate work in engineering, mathematics, technology, nursing, teaching or science. An additional $1,000 is available to VCU students who advance to the next class level, limited to one award at junior level and one at senior level.
To be eligible for the award, students must:
- Complete the FAFSA or VASA (Virginians who are nonimmigrants, undocumented, have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status or are otherwise ineligible to file the FAFSA)
- Complete the 2023-24 Transfer Grant Application
- Be an in-state student
- Demonstrate financial need
- Graduate from a Virginia public two-year college with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0
- Transfer to VCU by the fall semester following completion of the associate degree
- Submit a final academic transcript to VCU as soon as the associate degree is posted
- Maintain satisfactoryacademic progress (SAP)
- Maintain at least a 3.0 GPA at VCU
Students who attended college prior to fall 2007 are not eligible for the transfer grant.
VCU reviews final academic transcripts to determine eligibility. In some instances, eligibility will not be established until after the semester is in session.
The grant is limited to a maximum of three years.
Virginia Foster Care Tuition Grant Award
The Virginia Foster Care Tuition Grant Award provides mandatory fee assistance to students who must:
- Document they were a foster child from the Department of Social Services, and
- The Social Services document must include the dates in foster care, or
- Assistance received for a special needs adoption
A foster child is defined for this program as one who was in foster care at the time they received their high school diploma or general education diploma (GED); in the custody of a social service agency or a special needs adoption at the time they received their high school diploma or GED; or was formerly in foster care when turning 18 years old and subsequently received a high school diploma or GED.
Additional award criteria
- Be enrolled in an undergraduate degree seeking program with no prior bachelor's degree
- Must enroll and complete at least half-time enrollment (6 credits or more) each semester
- Must be a resident of Virginia at the time the award as made and continue to remain a resident of Virginia during the duration the award is made
- Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress as defined by the Office of Financial Aid
- Cannot exceed five years of full-time study or 120 credit hours
- Must demonstrate financial need as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in the year the award is made
Award value
The actual award will vary based upon the types of financial aid a student may receive.
How to apply
The VCU Office of Financial Aid will review your FAFSA results to consider you for this award program. We will ask you to document your circumstances to verify your award eligibility. If you do not receive an update to your eServices account within 30 days of your FAFSA submission, please reach out to the VCU Office of Financial Aid to check on your eligibility status for this program.
Restrictions
- Laboratory fees are not included
- On campus room and board fees are not included
- Differential tuition fees are not included
- Fees outside the scope of tuition are not included
- Funds may be limited to first come, first served
- This award, when combined with other gift aid (scholarships and grants), may not exceed your financial aid cost of attendance
- This award, when combined with other tuition-only awards, may not exceed your tuition and mandatory fees. Tuition-only means any grants, scholarships, waivers or any other form of financial aid to be applied only to tuition and mandatory fees
- Cannot be a non-resident student
Important consumer information
- A student who withdraws from VCU may owe VCU money for the unearned portion of the award received
- Students who do not enroll and complete at least six credit hours each semester will no longer be eligible for this program
- Funds for summer semester enrollment may not be available
Resources
Virginia Legislative Information System Chapter 589
FAQs
How do I find my FAFSA answers? ›
If you have an FSA ID (account username and password) and your FAFSA information has been processed, you can log in at fafsa.gov to view SAR information regardless of the method (online or on a FAFSA PDF) you used to file a FAFSA form or whether you provided an email address or not.
Why is my EFC so high? ›Why is my EFC so high? If your EFC is high, it generally means that your family's income is high. Parental income is one of the biggest drivers of Expected Family Contribution. This is because the FAFSA takes both parents' income into account, as well as the student's income.
Should I answer questions about student assets on FAFSA? ›While you may not have as much in your savings account, student assets are weighted more heavily (20% for the FAFSA), so these must be reported, too. Good Strategy: Shift Assets Shifting assets from reportable assets to non-reportable assets can impact your eligibility for financial aid.
Why is my FAFSA grant so low? ›Some of the most common reasons your grant funds may be reduced are: You didn't enroll full time. Pell Grants are prorated for part-time enrollment, You didn't begin attending all of your classes before the financial aid lock date.
How long does it take to get a FAFSA answer? ›If you submitted your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form online, then the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will process your application within 3–5 days. If you submitted a paper FAFSA form, D will process your application within 7–10 days.
How long does it take to get an answer back from FAFSA? ›It typically takes 3–5 days to process a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form that you submitted electronically. You can check the status of your FAFSA form immediately after submitting it online. We process a paper FAFSA form within 7–10 days from the date you mailed it.
What is a bad EFC number? ›Once your FAFSA form is received, the schools arrive at a number between 0 and 4617 that will result in a federal student aid grant for the following academic year. Any person with an EFC number at 0 will receive the maximum amount of student aid, while a number over 5273 will result in no aid at all.
How do I pay for college if my EFC is too high? ›- What is EFC?
- Discuss Your Options With Your Parents.
- Understand How Your EFC Was Derived.
- Appeal your Financial Aid Award.
- Apply For Scholarships and Grants.
- Work Part-Time or Freelance.
- Take A Year Off.
- Consider Private Student Loans.
The overall average EFC is about $10,000, with an average of about $6,000 for students at community colleges and $14,000 at 4-year colleges. Slightly more than half of students have an EFC of $2,500 or less. Slightly more than 10% have an EFC greater than $25,000.
Does FAFSA check your bank accounts? ›Students selected for verification of their FAFSA form may wonder, “Does FAFSA check your bank accounts?” FAFSA does not directly view the student's or parent's bank accounts.
Should I empty my savings account for FAFSA? ›
The student should keep no cash or cash equivalents saved in their name. Students are punished by the FAFSA for saving any cash. The FAFSA will specifically ask “As of today what is the cash balance of checking, savings…” accounts for the student.
How much assets is too much for FAFSA? ›The CSS Profile does not have a simplified needs test . The FAFSA also has an asset protection allowance that shelters a portion of parent assets based on the age of the older parent. The maximum asset protection allowance , however, has decreased from $84,000 in 2009-2010 to $10,500 in 2024-2025.
What happens if FAFSA doesn't give me enough money? ›Request a Reevaluation of Your Circumstances
Schools are not required to consider special circumstances, but those that do have a process, called professional judgement. Through this process, you can petition for a reevaluation of the information on your FAFSA® form.
There are a number of reasons for this, the most common of which are that you are not enrolled for the full year or that you are not enrolled full-time, or both. We calculate the percentage of the scheduled award that you did receive.
How do I maximize my FAFSA grants? ›- File Early. Perhaps the easiest move you can make is to fill out the FAFSA as early in the year as possible. ...
- Minimize Your Taxable Income. ...
- Clarify Who Owns Your Assets. ...
- Don't Assume You Won't Qualify. ...
- FAFSA Isn't the Whole Picture.
- Select the "Log In” button and enter your FSA ID.
- On the “My FAFSA” page, select “Make Corrections.”
- Create a save key.
- Change your information.
- Submit your new information.
Go to https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa and click login. Log in to the system. Click “View or Print your SAR”.
Where can I find my FAFSA PDF? ›Go to the https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa home page and click “Login.” 3. Log into the system. 4. Click on the “View or Print your SAR” option near the middle of the “My FAFSA” page, and choose to save as a PDF file.
What happens if you make a mistake on FAFSA? ›A mistake on your FAFSA can delay the processing of your application for financial aid. If your FAFSA is verified and contains errors, it can cost you.