Pell Grant Question

[Kirsten]

So in 2015 I was employed full time and made too much to qualify for the Pell Grant. I asked WGU if I could use my 2016 tax information instead of 2015. They said because I quit my job and had not been laid off or fired, I would be ineligible to request a special circumstance evaluation.

I asked my local community college the same question, and they said that they would approve that as a special circumstance. Would I be able to get it approved from my community college and then move it to WGU? Has anyone done this before?

[yb1]

I would just call WGU and tell them you were in a hostile work environment or had to quit due to being sick/ family circumstances. There are many reasons people need to quit without actually being fired. Maybe your car broke down and work was too far and you wouldn't be able to get to work anymore.

Also before you go through all the hoops just call WGU and speak with them again about this. If the Financial aid officer is unwilling to help then speak with her manager.

Explain to them that the local CC is offering to approve it. If you get pushback ask what is the legal reasons that you are unwilling to approve.


Also why not just call FAFSA and ask them?

[dfrecore]

Dumb question - but isn't the Pell Grant approved by FAFSA, rather than the school itself? If schools could just give out federal money because they felt like it, wouldn't they all just do it, regardless of circumstances?

[sanantone]

Schools determine how much financial aid you get based on what FAFSA reports. They have guidelines to follow. For this situation, I don't know if FAFSA can do anything. They're pretty firm on following the new rules for income reporting. For those who lost a lot of income in 2016 vs. 2015, it put them in a bind, but the government doesn't care. The government thinks it's a better system so that people don't have to wait for the current year's tax filing, but it requires that people report income info that is almost two years old.