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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 FAFSA and who have not received a prior degree.

For the 2024-2025 school year, students with an SAI 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 percent 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.

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

The IASG Grant is no longer available as of the 2024-2025 academic year.

The following information pertains to the IASG Grant for years prior to 2023-2024.

The IASG was available to a qualifying student:

whose parent or guardian died as a result of U.S. military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after Sept. 11, 2001; who was under 24 years of age or was enrolled at least part-time in college on the date of the parent or guardian’s death; is not eligible for a Pell Grant; and

Eligibility for the IASG was determined by the FAFSA data match with the Department of Defense. A student who qualified for the IASG grant received a letter advising the student they qualified for the IASG should contact the SDSU Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

The IASG amount equaled to the maximum Pell Grant for that year. The IASG, however, was subject to the and the sequestration rules outlined in the Budget Control Act of 2011. Consequently, the awards are reduced by the current sequestration rate. Awards made between Oct. 1, 2022 and Sept. 30, 2023 were subject to a 5.7% reduction.

Students who met the above criteria and who also qualify for a Pell Grant received the maximum Pell award for that year.

Please visit Federal Student Aid for additional information about the IASG.

  • Meets all other eligibility criteria for a Pell Grant.

The SEOG is a federal need-based grant that students do not have to pay back.

SDSU receives a limited amount of SEOG funds each year.

The award amount for 2024-2025 is $800 for a fall/spring award and $400 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 2024-2025 school year a student must meet the following additional criteria to receive an SEOG 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 SEOG.

If additional SEOG 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 course work 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.