This guide outlines how you can determine your Federal Pell grant based on your Student Aid Index (SAI) which was generated when you filed a FAFSA. However, some students may be eligible for maximum Pell ($7,395) or minimum Pell ($740) even if they have a higher SAI. This guide can be used to help students determine their Pell eligibility based on their SAI. Students who filed a FAFSA and are determined to be maximum or minimum Pell eligible can make use of this guide as well starting with step 4 and can make use of the Brooklyn College Student Federal Pell Grant Estimator (you will need a BC Webcentral login to access the estimator). Students should speak with a representative to determine if they meet maximum or minimum Pell eligibility who can review that information with them in more detail.
Step 1 – File the FAFSA
Complete and submit a FAFSA form for the corresponding year. Without a FAFSA application it can never be determined what your federal aid eligibility can be.
Step 2 – Review your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) and Student Aid Index (SAI)
Access your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) to view your Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI can be as low as -1500 and as high as the information on your FAFSA calculates (999999).
Step 3 – Subtract your SAI from the Maximum Pell Amount to get your Scheduled Pell
Your Pell award amount for each year is calculated using the following formula: Maximum Pell Amount minus SAI and that figure rounded to the nearest 5 (Max Pell -SAI = Pell rounded to the nearest 5). For example, 7395 – 232 = 7163 which is then rounded to 7165. That’s the scheduled amount of Pell for the year but not necessarily how much you will get because enrollment determines the final amount.
Note: SAIs numbered from -1500 to -1 are treated as a 0 when calculating Pell. You would not subtract 7395 – (-1500) but instead 7,395 – 0. A negative SAI does not result in a higher than the max amount of Pell award (7395).
Step 4 – Divide the Schedule Pell to Determine your Full-Time Semester Pell
To get the full-time semester Pell you divide the scheduled Pell (7165) in half which is 3,582.50. This is the maximum amount of Pell a student can receive each semester if attending at least 12 credits (fulltime). If attending less than 12 credits, your Pell grant will adjust based on the “enrollment intensity”. Use the chart in step 5 below to help you determine what your enrollment intensity is based on the credits you’re enrolled for.
Step 5 – Determine your Enrollment Intensity
Enrollment Intensity is the percentage of Pell you can receive based on your enrollment status for the semester. If you take the example from above, a student can receive a max of $3,582.50 in each semester if they are enrolled for at least 12 credits. If they are enrolled for less than 12 credits the chart below indicates the percentage of Pell they can receive and the sample dollar amount based on their enrollment for the semester.
| Credit Hours | Enrollment Intensity | Example Pell* |
| 12 | 100% | $3,582.50 |
| 11.5 | 96% | $3,439.20 |
| 11 | 92% | $3,295.90 |
| 10.5 | 88% | $3,152.60 |
| 10 | 83% | $2,973.48 |
| 9.5 | 79% | $2,830.18 |
| 9 | 75% | $2,686.88 |
| 8.5 | 71% | $2543.58 |
| 8 | 67% | $2,400.28 |
| 7.5 | 63% | $2,256.98 |
| 7 | 58% | $2,077.85 |
| 6.5 | 54% | $1,934.55 |
| 6 | 50% | $1,791.25 |
| 5.5 | 46% | $1,647.95 |
| 5 | 42% | $1,504.65 |
| 4.5 | 38% | $1,361.35 |
| 4 | 33% | $1,182.23 |
| 3.5 | 29% | $1,038.93 |
| 3 | 25% | $895.63 |
| 2.5 | 21% | $752.33 |
| 2 | 17% | $609.03 |
| 1.5 | 13% | $465.73 |
| 1 | 8% | $286.60 |
| 0.5 | 4% | $143.30 |
*This is an example of how a specific scheduled Pell grant amount can change based on each half-credit of enrollment. The data in this column does NOT represent any student’s specific Pell eligibility but is presented here to illustrate how enrollment intensity directly affects the dollar amount. This chart should be used to help you identify the percentages so you can calculate on your own.
Step 6 – Determine your Semester Pell based on Enrollment.
Take the divided scheduled Pell and multiply it by the enrollment intensity percentage. Convert the percentage into a decimal before multiplying. For example, using the SAI (232) and Max Pell (7165 and 3582.50 each semester) listed above, if you are taking 9.5 credits for Fall 2024 you would calculate $3,582.50 x 0.79 which gives you $2,830.18 as your Pell award for Fall 2024.
Why is my Calculated Amount different from what I see on CUNYfirst
There could be multiple variables that are causing a difference between what you calculated and what is being shown on CUNYfirst. Examples could be LEU, Max Pell or Min Pell Indicator on your FAFSA, SAP, timing, etc.
If you are getting an amount that is higher or lower than what you see on CUNYfirst, we advise that you to speak with a financial aid representative so that we can look further into your account.
Additional Resources
Brooklyn College Student Federal Pell Grant Estimator