Federal Grants

Federal Pell Grants are need-based gift aid that students do not have to pay back.

Pell Grants are available to undergraduate students with a qualifying Expected Family Contribution from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and who have not received a prior degree.

For the 2025-2026 school year, students with an Student Aid Index from -1500 to 6655 qualify for Pell Grants ranging from $740 to $7,395. Students who attend more than two terms in one year may be eligible to receive up to a 50% additional Pell award for the third term they attend in the award year.

Pell Grants are paid based on a students enrollment intensity. The amount listed on the financial aid offer, generally, lists the Pell Grant that would be paid for a full-time (12 or more credits per term) student. The amount is then reduced to match the students enrollment intensity.

Students with higher Pell-eligible FAFSA Expected Family Contribution numbers may lose Pell eligibility when enrolled less than full-time for a term.

There is a limit to the amount of Pell Grant funds a student can receive. Once a student has received the equivalent of six full award years of Pell Grants, the student is not eligible for additional Pell Grants.

Students may also qualify for the Pell Grant eligibility under the special rule for students who are the child of a parent who died in the line of duty. Please see more information on StudentAid.gov and contact our office if you think you may qualify for the special rule.

Please visit Federal Student Aid for additional information about the Pell Grant.

The Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant is a federal need-based grant that students do not have to pay back.

SDSU receives a limited amount of Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant funds each year.

The award amount for 2025-2026 is $1,000 for a fall/spring award and $500 for a fall only or spring only award.

In order to qualify, students must receive Pell Grant for the current year and meet other criteria established by the SDSU Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. For the 2025-2026 school year a student must meet the following additional criteria to receive a Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant:

Submit a completed FAFSA on or before the March 1 FAFSA priority date and have a Student Aid Index from the FAFSA of -1500.

Please visit Federal Student Aid for additional information about the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant.

If additional Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant funds become available during the school year, these may be awarded to individual Pell Grant-eligible students who demonstrate extreme financial need.

The TEACH Grant Program provides grants of up to $4,000 a year to students who are completing or plan to complete coursework needed to begin a career in teaching.

As a condition for receiving a TEACH Grant, every year you must complete the TEACH Grant application, TEACH Grant counseling and sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve in which you agree to (among other requirements) teach:

• In a high-need field.
• At an elementary school, secondary school or educational service agency that serves students from low-income families.
• And for at least four complete academic years within eight years after completing (or ceasing enrollment in) the course of study for which you received the grant.

Please visit financial aid forms to access the TEACH Grant application.

Important: If you do not complete your service obligation, all TEACH Grant funds you received will be converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan. You must then repay this loan to the U.S. Department of Education, with interest charged from the date the TEACH Grant was disbursed.