In order to academically succeed in a program, a Federal Pell Grant student must have the ability to purchase books and supplies at the beginning of the academic period. By the seventh day of a payment period, the school will provide a way for a student who is eligible for a Federal Pell Grant to obtain or purchase the books and supplies required for the payment period if:
- ten days before the beginning of the payment period, the school could have disbursed FSA funds to the student; and
- disbursement of those funds would have created an FSA credit balance.
The school will consider all the FSA funds a student is eligible to receive at the time it makes the determination, but the school need not consider aid from non-FSA sources.
The amount the school must provide is the lesser of the presumed credit balance or the amount determined by the school that the student needs to obtain the books and supplies. In determining the required amount, the school may use the actual costs of books and supplies or the allowance for those materials used in estimating the student’s cost of attendance for the period. A student may decline to participate in this process to obtain or purchase books and supplies, if they so choose.