Pell Recalculation Policy

I. Policy Statement

The New School (TNS) awards the Federal Pell Grant to eligible students in accordance with federal laws and regulations and the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid Handbook.

TNS will establish a Pell Recalculation Date (PRD) for each applicable payment period. The PRD establishes the point through which TNS will recalculate Pell Grant awards for changes in enrollment intensity after the student has begun attendance in all classes, subject to the mandatory federal recalculation requirements described in this policy.

The PRD date will be established for each semester by the FAO Team based on the university's published calendar.

II. Pell Recalculation Date and Add/Drop Period

TNS establishes a PRD for each payment period based on the university’s published academic calendar. Unless otherwise specified on the academic calendar, the PRD will be the day following the published add/drop deadline for the semester.

For enrollment changes occurring on or before the PRD, TNS will recalculate the student’s Pell Grant based on the student’s enrollment intensity as of the PRD.

TNS will consider both increases and decreases in enrollment intensity through the applicable PRD.

After the PRD, TNS will not recalculate a Pell Grant solely because a student’s enrollment intensity changes during the payment period, provided the student has begun attendance in all classes included in the Pell Grant enrollment calculation.

III. Enrollment Intensity

For Pell Grant purposes, enrollment intensity is calculated using the student’s eligible enrollment divided by TNS’s applicable full-time enrollment standard for the program and payment period.

For example, when full-time enrollment is defined as 12 credit hours:

• 12 credits = 100% enrollment intensity
• 9 credits = 75% enrollment intensity
• 8 credits = 67% enrollment intensity
• 6 credits = 50% enrollment intensity
• 3 credits = 25% enrollment intensity

Enrollment intensity is rounded to the nearest whole percent and may not exceed 100%.

The enrollment intensity calculation used for Pell Grant purposes is distinct from enrollment-status categories that may be used for other Title IV programs.

IV. Initial Pell Grant Calculation

An initial Pell Grant calculation will occur after TNS has received an Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) containing an official SAI and applicable Pell eligibility information.

The initial Pell Grant calculation will be based on one of the following:

• Prior to registration – student’s expected full-time enrollment
• After registration – student’s enrollment intensity

If TNS receives the student’s first valid ISIR after TNS’s established PRD, the initial Pell Grant calculation will be based on the student’s effective enrollment intensity at the time of the initial calculation. TNS will not subsequently recalculate the Pell Grant solely because of a later change in enrollment intensity during that payment period, provided the student began attendance in all classes included in the initial calculation, and no other federal recalculation requirement applies.

V. Mandatory Pell Recalculations

Regardless of TNS’s PRD policy, a Pell Grant recalculation is required a student fails to begin attendance in all classes.

If a student does not begin attendance in one or more classes that were included in the enrollment intensity used to calculate the Pell Grant, TNS will recalculate the Pell Grant based on the lower enrollment intensity resulting from the classes in which the student actually began attendance.

If a student’s SAI or another Pell Grant eligibility indicator changes because of a FAFSA correction, update, adjustment, or other federally permitted change, and the change affects the student’s Pell Grant eligibility or award amount, TNS will recalculate the Pell Grant in accordance with federal requirements.

VI. Changes Between Payment Periods

A student’s Pell Grant will be calculated separately for each applicable payment period. A change in enrollment intensity between academic semesters or payment periods will be reflected in the Pell Grant calculation for the applicable payment period.

For example, a student who is enrolled at 100% enrollment intensity during the fall semester and 75% enrollment intensity during the spring semester will have the spring Pell Grant payment calculated using the applicable 75% enrollment intensity.

VII. Changes Between Payment Periods

A student’s withdrawal from all classes will be processed in accordance with federal Title IV withdrawal and Return of Title IV requirements, when applicable.

A complete withdrawal does not, by itself, constitute a discretionary Pell recalculation underTNS’s PRD policy. The Financial Aid Office will determine the appropriate treatment of Pell Grant funds based on the applicable federal withdrawal, attendance, payment-period, and disbursement requirements.

VIII. Late FAFSA Receipt or Late Enrollment

If TNS receives a valid ISIR after the established PRD, the initial Pell Grant calculation will be based on the student’s effective enrollment intensity at the time of the initial calculation.

If a student enrolls for the first time in a payment period after the PRD, TNS will make the initial Pell Grant calculation based on the student’s enrollment at the time of the initial calculation, subject to applicable federal requirements.

A subsequent change in enrollment intensity after the initial calculation will be handled according to the federal rules and TNS’s PRD policy, including any mandatory recalculation requirements.

IX. Winter Intersession Enrollment

The winter intersession is part of an existing fall payment period, and TNS will include the coursework in the Pell Grant calculation as required by the applicable federal Pell Grant formula and payment-period rules.

Students who are not enrolled during at the beginning of the fall payment period, but subsequently enroll in the winter intersession, may receive Pell Grant funds if they otherwise meet all federal eligibility requirements.

X. Cost of Attendance

When a Pell Grant is recalculated because of a change in enrollment intensity, TNS will also consider any resulting change to the student’s cost of attendance, as required by federal regulations.

A Pell Grant recalculation will not be avoided solely because TNS continues to charge tuition or fees for coursework that is no longer included in the student’s Pell Grant enrollment intensity.

XI. Documentation and Consistency

The Financial Aid Office will maintain documentation supporting:

1. The date of the initial Pell Grant calculation;

2. The student’s enrollment intensity used in the calculation;

3. The applicable Pell Recalculation Date;

4. Whether the student began attendance in all classes included in the calculation;

5. Any required recalculation resulting from a change in SAI or other Pell eligibility indicator; and

6. Any other adjustment required under federal regulations.

XII. Federal Authority

This policy is administered in accordance with applicable provisions of the Higher Education Act, 34 CFR Part 690, and the U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid Handbook, including the current-year guidance governing:

• Pell Grant eligibility and calculations;

• Enrollment intensity;

• Initial Pell Grant calculations;

• Pell Grant recalculations;

• Payment periods;

• Modular and compressed coursework;

• Crossover payment periods; and

• Year-Round Pell Grant eligibility.