[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 34, Volume 3]
[Revised as of July 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 34CFR690.63]

[Page 901-904]
 
                           TITLE 34--EDUCATION
 
 CHAPTER VI--OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
 
PART 690_FEDERAL PELL GRANT PROGRAM--Table of Contents
 
          Subpart F_Determination of Federal Pell Grant Awards
 
Sec. 690.63  Calculation of a Federal Pell Grant for a payment period.

    (a)(1) Programs using standard terms with at least 30 weeks of 
instructional time. A student's Federal Pell Grant for a payment period 
is calculated under paragraphs (b) or (d) of this section if--
    (i) The student is enrolled in an eligible program that--
    (A) Measures progress in credit hours;
    (B) Is offered in semesters, trimesters, or quarters;

[[Page 902]]

    (C) Requires the student to enroll for at least 12 credit hours in 
each term in the award year to qualify as a full-time student; and
    (D) Is not offered with overlapping terms; and
    (ii) The institution offering the program--
    (A) Provides the program using an academic calendar that includes 
two semesters or trimesters in the fall through the following spring, or 
three quarters in the fall, winter, and spring; and
    (B) Provides at least 30 weeks of instructional time in the terms 
specified in paragraph (a)(1)(ii)(A) of this section.
    (2) Programs using standard terms with less than 30 weeks of 
instructional time. A student's Federal Pell Grant for a payment period 
is calculated under paragraph (c) or (d) of this section if--
    (i) The student is enrolled in an eligible program that--
    (A) Measures progress in credit hours;
    (B) Is offered in semesters, trimesters, or quarters;
    (C) Requires the student to enroll in at least 12 credit hours in 
each term in the award year to qualify as a full-time student; and
    (D) Is not offered with overlapping terms; and
    (ii) The institution offering the program--
    (A) Provides the program using an academic calendar that includes 
two semesters or trimesters in the fall through the following spring, or 
three quarters in the fall, winter, and spring; and
    (B) Does not provide at least 30 weeks of instructional time in the 
terms specified in paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(A) of this section.
    (3) Other programs using terms and credit hours. A student's Federal 
Pell Grant for a payment period is calculated under paragraph (d) of 
this section if the student is enrolled in an eligible program that--
    (i) Measures progress in credit hours; and
    (ii) Is offered in academic terms other than those described in 
paragraphs (a)(1) and (a)(2) of this section.
    (4) Programs not using terms or using clock hours. A student's 
Federal Pell Grant for any payment period is calculated under paragraph 
(e) of this section if the student is enrolled in an eligible program 
that--
    (i) Is offered in credit hours but is not offered in academic terms; 
or
    (ii) Is offered in clock hours.
    (5) Programs of study offered by correspondence. A student's Federal 
Pell Grant payment for a payment period is calculated under Sec. 690.66 
if the program is offered by correspondence courses.
    (6) Programs for which an exception to the academic year definition 
has been granted under 34 CFR 668.3. If an institution receives a waiver 
from the Secretary of the 30 weeks of instructional time requirement 
under 34 CFR 668.3, an institution may calculate a student's Federal 
Pell Grant payment for a payment period using the following 
methodologies:
    (i) If the program is offered in terms and credit hours, the 
institution uses the methodology in--
    (A) Paragraph (b) of this section provided that the program meets 
all the criteria in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, except that in 
lieu of paragraph (a)(1)(ii)(B) of this section, the program provides at 
least the same number of weeks of instructional time in the terms 
specified in paragraph (a)(1)(ii)(A) of this section as are in the 
program's academic year; or
    (B) Paragraph (d) of this section.
    (ii) The institution uses the methodology described in paragraph (e) 
of this section if the program is offered in credit hours without terms 
or clock hours.
    (iii) The institution uses the methodology described in Sec. 690.66 
if the program is correspondence study.
    (b) Programs using standard terms with at least 30 weeks of 
instructional time. The Federal Pell Grant for a payment period, i.e., 
an academic term, for a student in a program using standard terms with 
at least 30 weeks of instructional time in two semesters or trimesters 
or in three quarters as described in paragraph (a)(1)(ii)(A) of this 
section, is calculated by--
    (1) Determining his or her enrollment status for the term;

[[Page 903]]

    (2) Based upon that enrollment status, determining his or her annual 
award from the Payment Schedule for full-time students or the 
Disbursement Schedule for three-quarter-time, half-time, or less-than-
half-time students; and
    (3) Dividing the amount described under paragraph (b)(2) of this 
section by--
    (i) Two at institutions using semesters or trimesters or three at 
institutions using quarters; or
    (ii) The number of terms over which the institution chooses to 
distribute the student's annual award if--
    (A) An institution chooses to distribute all of the student's annual 
award determined under paragraph (b)(2) of this section over more than 
two terms at institutions using semesters or trimesters or more than 
three quarters at institutions using quarters; and
    (B) The number of weeks of instructional time in the terms, 
including the additional term or terms, equals the weeks of 
instructional time in the program's academic year.
    (c) Programs using standard terms with less than 30 weeks of 
instructional time. The Federal Pell Grant for a payment period, i.e., 
an academic term, for a student in a program using standard terms with 
less than 30 weeks of instructional time in two semesters or trimesters 
or in three quarters as described in paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(A) of this 
section, is calculated by--
    (1) Determining his or her enrollment status for the term;
    (2) Based upon that enrollment status, determining his or her annual 
award from the Payment Schedule for full-time students or the 
Disbursement Schedule for three-quarter-time, half-time, or less-than-
half-time students;
    (3) Multiplying his or her annual award determined under paragraph 
(c)(2) of this section by the following fraction as applicable:
    In a program using semesters or trimesters--
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR03JY06.009
    

; or
    In a program using quarters--
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TC15NO91.029
    

; and
    (4)(i) Dividing the amount determined under paragraph (c)(3) of this 
section by two for programs using semesters or trimesters or three for 
programs using quarters; or
    (ii) Dividing the student's annual award determined under paragraph 
(c)(2) of this section by the number of terms over which the institution 
chooses to distribute the student's annual award if--
    (A) An institution chooses to distribute all of the student's annual 
award determined under paragraph (c)(2) of this section over more than 
two terms for programs using semesters or trimesters or more than three 
quarters for programs using quarters; and
    (B) The number of weeks of instructional time in the terms, 
including the additional term or terms, equals the weeks of 
instructional time in the program's academic year definition.
    (d) Other programs using terms and credit hours. The Federal Pell 
Grant for a payment period, i.e., an academic term, for a student in a 
program using terms and credit hours, other than those described in 
paragraphs (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section, is calculated by--
    (1)(i) For a student enrolled in a semester, trimester, or quarter, 
determining his or her enrollment status for the term; or
    (ii) For a student enrolled in a term other than a semester, 
trimester, or quarter, determining his or her enrollment status for the 
term by--
    (A) Dividing the number of weeks of instructional time in the term 
by the

[[Page 904]]

number of weeks of instructional time in the program's academic year;
    (B) Multiplying the fraction determined under paragraph 
(d)(1)(ii)(A) of this section by the number of credit hours in the 
program's academic year to determine the number of hours required to be 
enrolled to be considered a full-time student; and
    (C) Determining a student's enrollment status by comparing the 
number of hours in which the student enrolls in the term to the number 
of hours required to be considered full-time under paragraph 
(d)(1)(ii)(B) of this section for that term;
    (2) Based upon that enrollment status, determining his or her annual 
award from the Payment Schedule for full-time students or the 
Disbursement Schedule for three-quarter-time, half-time, or less-than-
half-time student; and
    (3) Multiplying his or her annual award determined under paragraph 
(d)(2) of this section by the following fraction:
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TC15NO91.030

    (e) Programs using clock hours or credit hours without terms. The 
Federal Pell Grant for a payment period for a student in a program using 
credit hours without terms or using clock hours is calculated by--
    (1) Determining the student's Scheduled Federal Pell Grant using the 
Payment Schedule;
    (2) Multiplying the amount determined under paragraph (e)(1) of this 
section by the lesser of--
    (i)
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TC15NO91.031
    

; or
    (ii) One; and
    (3) Multiplying the amount determined under paragraph (e)(2) of this 
section by--
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TC15NO91.032

    (f) A single disbursement may not exceed 50 percent of any award 
determined under paragraph (d) or (e) of this section. If a payment for 
a payment period calculated under paragraphs (d) or (e) of this section 
would require the disbursement of more than 50 percent of a student's 
annual award in that payment period, the institution shall make at least 
two disbursements to the student in that payment period. The institution 
may not disburse an amount that exceeds 50 percent of the student's 
annual award until the student has completed the period of time in the 
payment period that equals, in terms of weeks of instructional time, 50 
percent of the weeks of instructional time in the program's academic 
year.
    (g)(1) Notwithstanding paragraphs (b), (c), (d), and (e) of this 
section and 34 CFR 668.66, the amount of a student's award for an award 
year may not exceed his or her Scheduled Federal Pell Grant award for 
that award year except as provided in Sec. 690.67.
    (2) For purposes of this section and Sec. 690.66, an institution 
must define an academic year for each of its eligible programs in terms 
of the number of credit or clock hours and weeks of instructional time 
in accordance with the requirements of 34 CFR 668.3.

[59 FR 54733, Nov. 1, 1994, as amended at 69 FR 12277, Mar. 16, 2004; 71 
FR 38004, July 3, 2006]