Last Revision: October 29, 2024
Enrollment Status & Enrollment Intensity Definitions for FSA
If you plan to use Federal Student Aid (FSA) to pay for your education, then you will need to understand and follow these definitions for student enrollment status and enrollment intensity.
Enrollment Status Definition for FSA
Enrollment status is defined by how many credit hours for which a student is enrolled in a semester.
- Federal student loan borrowers must be attending at least half-time to receive loan disbursements.
Undergraduate Students (Enrollment Status per 16-week semester)
| Semester Course Load | Student Status |
|---|---|
| 12+ semester Hours | Full Time |
| 9 semester hours | Three-Quarter Time |
| 6 Semester Hours | Half Time |
| 3 semester hours | Less than Half Time |
Graduate Students (Enrollment Status per 16-week semester)*
Graduate students need at least 3 credits per semester for loans.
| Semester Course Load | Student Status |
|---|---|
| 6+ semester Hours | Full Time |
| 4.3 semester Hours | Three-Quarter Time |
| 3 semester Hours | Half Time |
To be eligible for FSA, you must have an enrollment status of:
- Undergraduate students need a minimum of 3 credit hours per semester for the Pell Grant; 6 credit hours per semester for student loans.
- Master's level students need at least 3 credits per semester for loans.
*Doctoral students may review the definition of their full time status.
Enrollment Intensity Definition for FSA
Beginning with the 2024-2025 Award Year, Pell Grant awards and disbursements will be prorated for enrollment intensity.
Enrollment intensity is the percentage of full-time enrollment at which an undergraduate student is enrolled, rounded to the nearest whole percent.
For example, if full-time enrollment is 12 credit hours and a student is enrolled in 7 credit hours, the enrollment intensity would be 7 ÷ 12 × 100% = 58.3% (round to 58%). Refer to the chart below for determining enrollment intensity, per semester.
| Enrolled Credit Hours | Enrollment Status | Enrollment Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| 12 (or more) | Full-Time | 100% |
| 11 | Three-Quarter Time | 92% |
| 10 | Three-Quarter Time | 83% |
| 9 | Three-Quarter Time | 75% |
| 8 | Half-Time | 67% |
| 7 | Half-Time | 58% |
| 6 | Half-Time | 50% |
| 5 | Less than Half-Time | 42% |
| 4 | Less than Half-Time | 33% |
| 3 | Less than Half-Time | 25% |
| 2 | Less than Half-Time | 17% |
| 1 | Less than Half-Time | 8% |
If you have questions about your enrollment for FSA, you may contact a financial aid advisor by emailing [email protected] or calling 855-731-9218 (Mon – Thurs 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET; Fri 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET).