The Federal Pell Grant is a federally funded, need-based grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education.

• Undergraduates who have not earned a bachelor’s or professional degree (and, in some cases, to those who are attending a post-baccalaureate teacher certificate program) are eligible.
• 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 awards vary from $740 to $7,395.
• Students may receive up to three full-time semesters of Pell per year, however, they must be registered at least half-time (6 hours) to receive a Pell Grant during the summer if they have exhausted their fall and spring eligibility.
• If you do not receive the full award during the fall and spring terms, you may be eligible for the remaining amount during the summer semester depending on enrollment.
• You can receive up to the equivalent of 12 full-time semesters of funding, per federal law.
• In the 2022-2023 academic year, 23.08% of full-time undergraduate students at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign received a Pell grant to assist with their educational expenses.