While many at RCC are familiar with the new 24/25 FAFSA, the changes for financial aid recipients don’t end there. Another notable change will affect Federal Pell Grant (Pell) recipients beginning summer term 2024.
Traditionally, Pell awards were based on an “enrollment level” — full-time, three-quarter time, half-time and less than half-time. Beginning this summer term, Pell awards for students who are not full-time (12+ credits) will be based on the specific number of credits they enroll in each term. For example, in the past a Pell award would be the same for a student enrolled in 6-8 credits. Beginning in 24/25, the award amount will be different for 6 credits, 7 credits and 8 credits of enrollment, so this is a big change.
We expect this change in policy will impact workloads in Financial Aid, particularly during the add/drop period. While we will endeavor to process these changes as efficiently as possible, we must balance speed with the detail required to ensure students are awarded correctly.
Many students have grown accustomed to RCC Financial Aid automatically adjusting their aid to match their enrollment as each term begins. We are encouraging students to be proactive and notify us when they know their plans. Last-minute changes may result in a delay to the student’s financial aid disbursement, which will likely result in late fees.
How you can help support our students during these changes:
- As you are advising students, remind them that every credit counts beginning this year.
- Encourage students to notify FinAid Advising when they decide what their actual enrollment will be each term — as early as possible!
- Remind students FinAid Advising can help answer questions about their eligibility and award information.
If you have questions, contact Rose Passione at rpassione@roguecc.edu or 541-956-7141