{
  "id": "pell-grant",
  "version": "c7d00034584a",
  "status": "published",
  "name": "Pell Grant Calculator",
  "question": "How much Pell Grant will I get?",
  "summary": "Estimates your 2026-27 Federal Pell Grant from your Student Aid Index (SAI), cost of attendance and enrollment, using the $7,395 maximum award.",
  "category": "education",
  "url": "https://www.acalculator.org/education/pell-grant-calculator",
  "markdown": "https://www.acalculator.org/education/pell-grant-calculator.md",
  "kind": "function",
  "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.",
  "assumptions": [
    "2026-27 award year (July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027): maximum $7,395, minimum $740.",
    "Standard terms (Formula 1); clock-hour and nonstandard programs work differently.",
    "Your school may round payments to whole dollars; this page shows cents.",
    "Year-round Pell (a third term at more than 100%) and the lifetime limit of 600% are not shown."
  ],
  "inputs": {
    "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "sai": {
        "title": "Student Aid Index (SAI)",
        "description": "The SAI on your FAFSA Submission Summary, from −1,500 up.",
        "type": "integer",
        "minimum": -1500,
        "maximum": 999999
      },
      "path": {
        "title": "Pell eligibility on your FAFSA",
        "description": "Most students get a Pell Grant worked out from the SAI. Some qualify for the maximum or the minimum by an income test; the FAFSA Submission Summary says so.",
        "type": "string",
        "enum": [
          "sai",
          "max",
          "min"
        ]
      },
      "coa": {
        "title": "Cost of attendance",
        "description": "Your school’s yearly cost of attendance for Pell (tuition, fees, housing, food, books and other costs).",
        "type": "number",
        "x-unit": "USD",
        "minimum": 0,
        "maximum": 1000000
      },
      "ei": {
        "title": "Enrollment intensity",
        "description": "Your credits as a percent of full time, rounded to a whole percent (12 credits of 12 is 100%).",
        "type": "integer",
        "minimum": 1,
        "maximum": 100
      },
      "terms": {
        "title": "Terms in the year",
        "description": "Terms in your school’s academic year, such as 2 semesters or 3 quarters.",
        "type": "integer",
        "minimum": 1,
        "maximum": 4
      }
    }
  },
  "outputs": {
    "annual": {
      "label": "Pell Grant for the year",
      "description": "The scheduled award times your enrollment intensity.",
      "format": "money"
    },
    "perTerm": {
      "label": "Pell Grant a term",
      "description": "The yearly award divided by the number of terms.",
      "format": "money"
    },
    "scheduled": {
      "label": "Scheduled award (full time)",
      "description": "The award for a full-time, full-year student: the calculated amount, at most the cost of attendance.",
      "format": "money"
    },
    "calculated": {
      "label": "Calculated Pell",
      "description": "$7,395 minus your SAI, at most $7,395, rounded to the nearest $5; 0 below the $740 minimum.",
      "format": "money"
    }
  },
  "defaultAnswer": {
    "inputs": {
      "sai": 2000,
      "path": "sai",
      "coa": 25000,
      "ei": 100,
      "terms": 2
    },
    "outputs": {
      "annual": 5395,
      "perTerm": 2697.5,
      "scheduled": 5395,
      "calculated": 5395
    },
    "text": "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."
  },
  "examples": [
    {
      "given": {
        "sai": 2000,
        "path": "sai",
        "coa": 25000,
        "ei": 100,
        "terms": 2
      },
      "expect": {
        "calculated": 5395,
        "scheduled": 5395,
        "annual": 5395,
        "perTerm": 2697.5
      },
      "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"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "sai": 1004,
        "path": "sai",
        "coa": 25000,
        "ei": 58,
        "terms": 3
      },
      "expect": {
        "calculated": 6390,
        "annual": 3706.2,
        "perTerm": 1235.4
      },
      "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; 58% enrollment intensity (Vol. 7, Ch. 3: 7 of 12 credits) gives $3,706.20"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "sai": -1500,
        "path": "sai",
        "coa": 25000,
        "ei": 100,
        "terms": 2
      },
      "expect": {
        "calculated": 7395,
        "annual": 7395,
        "perTerm": 3697.5
      },
      "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"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "sai": 6700,
        "path": "sai",
        "coa": 25000,
        "ei": 100,
        "terms": 2
      },
      "expect": {
        "calculated": 0,
        "annual": 0
      },
      "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"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "sai": 6656,
        "path": "sai",
        "coa": 25000,
        "ei": 100,
        "terms": 2
      },
      "expect": {
        "calculated": 0,
        "annual": 0
      },
      "source": "FSA Handbook 2026-27, Vol. 7, Ch. 2: the minimum test (Max Pell − SAI ≥ Min Pell) comes before rounding; 7,395 − 6,656 = $739 is below $740"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "sai": 6655,
        "path": "sai",
        "coa": 25000,
        "ei": 100,
        "terms": 2
      },
      "expect": {
        "calculated": 740,
        "annual": 740
      },
      "source": "FSA Handbook 2026-27, Vol. 7, Ch. 2: 7,395 − 6,655 = $740 meets the minimum (GEN-26-01)"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "sai": 6700,
        "path": "min",
        "coa": 25000,
        "ei": 100,
        "terms": 2
      },
      "expect": {
        "calculated": 740,
        "annual": 740
      },
      "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)"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "sai": 10000,
        "path": "max",
        "coa": 25000,
        "ei": 75,
        "terms": 2
      },
      "expect": {
        "calculated": 7395,
        "annual": 5546.25,
        "perTerm": 2773.13
      },
      "source": "Maximum Pell by income test (Application and Verification Guide, Ch. 3); FSA Handbook Vol. 7, Ch. 4: annual award = scheduled award × enrollment intensity: 7,395 × 0.75 = $5,546.25"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "sai": 14790,
        "path": "max",
        "coa": 25000,
        "ei": 100,
        "terms": 2
      },
      "expect": {
        "calculated": 0,
        "annual": 0
      },
      "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"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "sai": 0,
        "path": "sai",
        "coa": 5000.5,
        "ei": 100,
        "terms": 2
      },
      "expect": {
        "calculated": 7395,
        "scheduled": 5000.5,
        "annual": 5000.5
      },
      "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"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    "U.S. Department of Education, Dear Colleague Letter GEN-26-01, 2026–27 Federal Pell Grant Maximum and Minimum Award Amounts (January 30, 2026): https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/dear-colleague-letters/2026-01-30/2026-27-federal-pell-grant-maximum-and-minimum-award-amounts (retrieved 2026-10-05)",
    "Federal Student Aid Handbook 2026-27, Volume 7, Chapter 2, Calculating Pell Grants: https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/vol7/ch2-calculating-pell-grants (retrieved 2026-10-05)",
    "Federal Student Aid Handbook 2026-27, Volume 7, Chapter 3, Pell Grant Enrollment Intensity and Cost of Attendance: https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/vol7/ch3-pell-grant-enrollment-intensity-and-cost-attendance (retrieved 2026-10-05)",
    "Federal Student Aid Handbook 2026-27, Volume 7, Chapter 4, Calculating Annual Awards Using Pell Grant Formulas: https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/vol7/ch4-calculating-annual-awards-using-pell-grant-formulas (retrieved 2026-10-05)",
    "Federal Student Aid Handbook 2026-27, Application and Verification Guide, Chapter 3, Student Aid Index (SAI) and Pell Grant Eligibility: https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch3-student-aid-index-sai-and-pell-grant-eligibility (retrieved 2026-10-05)"
  ],
  "related": [
    "gi-bill",
    "college-savings",
    "student-loan"
  ],
  "changelog": []
}