acalculator

How much Pell Grant will I get?

Enter your Student Aid Index (SAI) from the FAFSA, your cost of attendance and how much you are enrolled. The calculator estimates your Pell Grant for the year and each term.

Your numbers

Pell eligibility on your FAFSA
Pell Grant for the year
$5,395.00

With an SAI of 2,000, your 2026-27 Pell Grant is about $5,395.00 for the year, or $2,697.50 a term.

Pell Grant a term
$2,697.50
Scheduled award (full time)
$5,395.00
Calculated Pell
$5,395.00

Pell Grant for the year: $5,395.00. With an SAI of 2,000, your 2026-27 Pell Grant is about $5,395.00 for the year, or $2,697.50 a term.

How to calculate

Estimates your 2026-27 Federal Pell Grant from your Student Aid Index (SAI), cost of attendance and enrollment, using the $7,395 maximum award.

Example with the default inputs (Student Aid Index (SAI) 2,000, Pell eligibility on your FAFSA From my SAI, Cost of attendance $25,000.00, Enrollment intensity 100, Terms in the year 2): With an SAI of 2,000, your 2026-27 Pell Grant is about $5,395.00 for the year, or $2,697.50 a term.

Method: Calculated Pell = $7,395 − SAI (at most $7,395), to the nearest $5, none below $740, none at an SAI of $14,790 or more; scheduled = the smaller of that and the cost of attendance; annual = scheduled × enrollment intensity; per term = annual ÷ terms.

  • 2026-27 award year (July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027): maximum $7,395, minimum $740.
  • Standard terms (Formula 1); clock-hour and nonstandard programs work differently.
  • Your school may round payments to whole dollars; this page shows cents.
  • Year-round Pell (a third term at more than 100%) and the lifetime limit of 600% are not shown.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Student Aid Index (SAI) 2,000, Pell eligibility on your FAFSA From my SAI, Cost of attendance $25,000.00, Enrollment intensity 100, Terms in the year 2 gives Calculated Pell $5,395.00, Scheduled award (full time) $5,395.00, Pell Grant for the year $5,395.00, Pell Grant a term $2,697.50.Source: GEN-26-01 (https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/dear-colleague-letters/2026-01-30/2026-27-federal-pell-grant-maximum-and-minimum-award-amounts): maximum $7,395; FSA Handbook 2026-27, Vol. 7, Ch. 2 (https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/vol7/ch2-calculating-pell-grants): Max Pell − SAI = 7,395 − 2,000 = $5,395
  2. Student Aid Index (SAI) 1,004, Pell eligibility on your FAFSA From my SAI, Cost of attendance $25,000.00, Enrollment intensity 58, Terms in the year 3 gives Calculated Pell $6,390.00, Pell Grant for the year $3,706.20, Pell Grant a term $1,235.40.Source: FSA Handbook 2026-27, Vol. 7, Ch. 2 (https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/vol7/ch2-calculating-pell-grants) (its worked example uses a $7,500 maximum: 7,500 − 1,004 = 6,496 rounds to $6,495) with the 2026-27 maximum of $7,395 from GEN-26-01: 7,395 − 1,004 = 6,391, $6,390
  3. Student Aid Index (SAI) -1,500, Pell eligibility on your FAFSA From my SAI, Cost of attendance $25,000.00, Enrollment intensity 100, Terms in the year 2 gives Calculated Pell $7,395.00, Pell Grant for the year $7,395.00, Pell Grant a term $3,697.50.Source: FSA Handbook 2026-27, Vol. 7, Ch. 2 (https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/vol7/ch2-calculating-pell-grants): a negative SAI gives no more than the maximum award of $7,395
  4. Student Aid Index (SAI) 6,700, Pell eligibility on your FAFSA From my SAI, Cost of attendance $25,000.00, Enrollment intensity 100, Terms in the year 2 gives Calculated Pell $0.00, Pell Grant for the year $0.00.Source: FSA Handbook 2026-27, Vol. 7, Ch. 2 (https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/vol7/ch2-calculating-pell-grants): 7,395 − 6,700 = $695 is below the $740 minimum (GEN-26-01), so no calculated Pell Grant
  5. Student Aid Index (SAI) 6,656, Pell eligibility on your FAFSA From my SAI, Cost of attendance $25,000.00, Enrollment intensity 100, Terms in the year 2 gives Calculated Pell $0.00, Pell Grant for the year $0.00.Source: FSA Handbook 2026-27, Vol. 7, Ch. 2: the minimum test (Max Pell − SAI ≥ Min Pell) comes before rounding
  6. Student Aid Index (SAI) 6,655, Pell eligibility on your FAFSA From my SAI, Cost of attendance $25,000.00, Enrollment intensity 100, Terms in the year 2 gives Calculated Pell $740.00, Pell Grant for the year $740.00.Source: FSA Handbook 2026-27, Vol. 7, Ch. 2: 7,395 − 6,655 = $740 meets the minimum (GEN-26-01)
  7. Student Aid Index (SAI) 6,700, Pell eligibility on your FAFSA Minimum Pell, Cost of attendance $25,000.00, Enrollment intensity 100, Terms in the year 2 gives Calculated Pell $740.00, Pell Grant for the year $740.00.Source: FSA Handbook 2026-27, Application and Verification Guide, Ch. 3: students who meet the income test get at least the minimum Pell, $740 (GEN-26-01)
  8. Student Aid Index (SAI) 10,000, Pell eligibility on your FAFSA Maximum Pell, Cost of attendance $25,000.00, Enrollment intensity 75, Terms in the year 2 gives Calculated Pell $7,395.00, Pell Grant for the year $5,546.25, Pell Grant a term $2,773.13.Source: FSA Handbook Vol. 7, Ch. 4: annual award = scheduled award × enrollment intensity: 7,395 × 0.75 = $5,546.25
  9. Student Aid Index (SAI) 14,790, Pell eligibility on your FAFSA Maximum Pell, Cost of attendance $25,000.00, Enrollment intensity 100, Terms in the year 2 gives Calculated Pell $0.00, Pell Grant for the year $0.00.Source: FSA Handbook 2026-27, Vol. 7, Ch. 2 (https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/vol7/ch2-calculating-pell-grants): an SAI equal to or greater than twice the maximum award (2 × 7,395 = 14,790) is ineligible for Pell, even with the maximum or minimum Pell income test
  10. Student Aid Index (SAI) 0, Pell eligibility on your FAFSA From my SAI, Cost of attendance $5,000.50, Enrollment intensity 100, Terms in the year 2 gives Calculated Pell $7,395.00, Scheduled award (full time) $5,000.50, Pell Grant for the year $5,000.50.Source: FSA Handbook 2026-27, Vol. 7, Ch. 2 (https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/vol7/ch2-calculating-pell-grants): if the rounded amount is greater than the Pell COA, the scheduled award equals the COA

How it works

Amounts for 2026-27: maximum Pell Grant $7,395; minimum $740.

Calculated Pell.

  • From your SAI: the smaller of $7,395 and (7,395 − SAI). If that is under $740 (checked before rounding), the calculated Pell is $0. Otherwise it is rounded to the nearest $5: a remainder of $1 or $2 rounds down and $3 or $4 rounds up.
  • Maximum Pell (income test): $7,395.
  • Minimum Pell (income test): the larger of the amount from your SAI and $740.
  • SAI limit: an SAI of twice the maximum award (2 × 7,395 = 14,790) or more gets no Pell Grant on any of the three paths, so the calculated Pell is $0.

The FAFSA Submission Summary says whether the income test applies. For example, a dependent student whose parents are not single and have adjusted gross income of at most 175% of the poverty guideline gets the maximum.

Scheduled award = the smaller of the calculated Pell and your Pell cost of attendance (COA). This is the award for a full-time student for a full year.

Pell Grant for the year = scheduled award × enrollment intensity ÷ 100, where enrollment intensity is your credits as a percent of full time, rounded to a whole percent (7 of 12 credits is 58%).

Pell Grant a term = yearly award ÷ terms in the year.

Money results are rounded once, to the cent, half up. Schools may pay in whole dollars by their own rounding rule.

Assumptions

  • A program with standard terms (semesters, trimesters or quarters), Formula 1 in the FSA Handbook.
  • No year-round Pell for a third term, and no check of the lifetime limit (12 full-time semesters, or 600%).
  • You are not a Special Rule student (a student whose parent or guardian died in military service or as a public safety officer). Those students can get Pell above the SAI limit; this page gives them $0.
  • Your school's Pell COA for a full-time, full-year student; less-than-half-time students may have a smaller COA.

When the data is out of date

The page uses the 2026-27 amounts. After June 30, 2027 it keeps them until it is updated, and says so above the result.

Worked examples by hand

SAI 2,000, full time, 2 semesters, COA $25,000. 7,395 − 2,000 = $5,395, already a multiple of $5. The COA is higher, so the scheduled award is $5,395. Year = $5,395.00; each semester 5,395 ÷ 2 = $2,697.50.

SAI 1,004, 7 of 12 credits (58%), 3 quarters. 7,395 − 1,004 = 6,391, which rounds to $6,390. Year = 6,390 × 0.58 = $3,706.20; each quarter 3,706.20 ÷ 3 = $1,235.40.

SAI −1,500. 7,395 − (−1,500) = 8,895, more than the maximum, so the award is $7,395.

SAI 6,700 from the SAI. 7,395 − 6,700 = $695, under $740: no Pell Grant. With the minimum Pell income test, the award is $740.

SAI 6,656 and 6,655. 7,395 − 6,656 = $739, under $740 before any rounding, so no Pell Grant. 7,395 − 6,655 = $740 meets the minimum: $740.

SAI 14,790 with the maximum or minimum Pell income test. 14,790 is twice the $7,395 maximum, so the student is not eligible: $0 on both paths. An SAI of 14,789 gets $7,395 or $740.

Maximum Pell at 75% enrollment, 2 semesters. 7,395 × 0.75 = $5,546.25; each semester 2,773.125, so $2,773.13.

SAI 0 with a COA of $5,000.50. The calculated Pell of $7,395 is more than the COA, so the scheduled award and the yearly award are $5,000.50.

Other questions people ask

What is the maximum Pell Grant for 2026-27?

The maximum Pell Grant is $7,395 for the 2026-27 award year (July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027). The minimum is $740, which is 10% of the maximum.

How is the Pell Grant calculated from the SAI?

Subtract your SAI from $7,395 and round to the nearest $5. If the result is less than $740 there is no calculated Pell Grant. An SAI of 2,000 gives 7,395 − 2,000 = $5,395 for a full-time student.

What SAI qualifies for a Pell Grant?

In 2026-27 an SAI of 6,655 or less gives at least the $740 minimum. Some students also qualify for the maximum or minimum award by an income test, if their SAI is under 14,790.

How much Pell Grant do part-time students get?

Multiply the full-time award by your enrollment intensity, the percent of full time you take. A student with $7,395 at 75% gets 7,395 × 0.75 = $5,546.25 for the year.

Can the Pell Grant be more than my cost of attendance?

No. The scheduled award is the smaller of the calculated amount and your Pell cost of attendance.