Grants Loans Work Study

Federal Pell Grants

Grants do not require repayment. They are awarded to undergraduate students (working on first bachelor's degree) who demonstrate financial need. The grants listed here are coordinated and administered by the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

Pell Grants are awarded based strictly on the student's Expected Family Contribution, or EFC (which is generated by filing the FAFSA).  

Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (SEOG)

SEOG funds are awarded on a first-come basis to Pell eligible undergraduate students on the basis of financial need. These funds are awarded to students directly by the University and are limited to the funds allocated to the University by the U.S. Department of Education.

University Based Grants

The University of Delaware awards a number of scholarships and grants based on student need, as well as academic performance.  

Teach Grant Program

In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, you must agree to serve as a full-time teacher in a high-need field in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students. As a recipient of a TEACH Grant, you must teach for at least four academic years within eight calendar years of completing the program of study for which you received a TEACH Grant. IMPORTANT: If you fail to complete this service obligation, all amounts of TEACH Grants that you received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan. You must then repay this loan to the U.S. Department of Education. You will be charged interest from the date the grant(s) was disbursed. Note: TEACH Grant recipients will be given a 6-month grace period prior to entering repayment if a TEACH Grant is converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan.

• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), although you do not have to demonstrate financial need.

• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.

• Be enrolled as an undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate student in a post secondary educational institution that has chosen to participate in the TEACH Grant Program.

• Be enrolled in coursework that is necessary to begin a career in teaching or plan to complete such coursework. Such coursework may include subject area courses (e.g., math courses for a student who intends to be a math teacher).

• Meet certain academic achievement requirements (generally, scoring above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test or maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25).

• Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve.

TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve

Each year you receive a TEACH Grant, you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve that will be available electronically on a Department of Education Web site. The TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve specifies the conditions under which the grant will be awarded, the teaching service requirements, and includes an acknowledgment by you that you understand that if you do not meet the teaching service requirements you must repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest accrued from the date the grant funds were disbursed. Specifically, the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve will require the following:

• For each TEACH Grant-eligible program for which you received TEACH Grant funds, you must serve as a full-time teacher for a total of at least four academic years within eight calendar years after you completed or withdrew from the academic program for which you received the TEACH Grant.

• You must perform the teaching service as a highly-qualified teacher at a low-income school. The term highly-qualified teacher is defined in section 9101(23) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 or in section 602(10) of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.

• Your teaching service must be in a high-need field.

• You must comply with any other requirements that the Department of Education determines to be necessary.

• If you do not complete the required teaching service obligation, TEACH Grant funds you received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan that you must repay, with interest charged from the date of each TEACH Grant disbursement.

Academic Competiveness Grant (ACG)

An Academic Competitiveness Grant provides $750 for the first year of study and $1,300 for the second year. Note: The amount of the ACG, when combined with a Pell Grant, may not exceed the student's cost of attendance. In addition, if the number of eligible students is large enough that payment of the full grant amounts would exceed the program appropriation in any fiscal year, then the amount of the grant to each eligible student may be ratably reduced.

To be eligible for each academic year, a student must:

• Be a U.S. citizen;

• Be a Federal Pell Grant recipient for the same award year;

• Be enrolled full-time in an associate's, bachelor's, or combined undergraduate/graduate (if it includes at least three years of undergraduate education) degree program or in a two-academic-year program acceptable for full credit toward a bachelor's degree;

• Be enrolled in the first or second academic year of his or her program of study at a two-year or four-year degree-granting institution;

• Have completed a rigorous secondary school program of study (after January 1, 2006, if a first-year student, and after January 1, 2005, if a second-year student);

• If first-year student, not have been enrolled previously as a regular student in an ACG-eligible college program when still in high school and was at or below the age of compulsory school attendance; and

• If second-year student, have successfully completed the first year and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

For qualifying for an ACG, any one of the following programs meet the "rigorous secondary school program of study" requirement:

1. Rigorous secondary school programs designated by state education agencies (SEAs) and state-authorized local education agencies (LEAs) and recognized by the Secretary of Education.

2. Advanced or honors secondary school programs established by states.

3. Secondary school programs identified by a state-level partnership recognized by the State Scholars Initiative of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) of Boulder, Colorado.

4. program for a student who completes at least two courses in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program with a score of four or higher on the course examinations or at least two Advanced Placement (AP) courses with a score of three or higher on the College Board's exams for those courses.

5. A secondary school program in which a student completes, at minimum:

   • Four years of English;

   • Three years of math, including algebra I and a higher level class such as algebra II, geometry, or data analysis and statistics;

   • Three years of science, including one year each of at least two of the following courses: biology, chemistry, and physics;

   • Three years of social studies; and

   • One year of a language other than English.

Federal Perkins/Nursing Loan

The Federal Perkins Loan program gives priority to students with exceptional need. The current interest rate is five percent. These funds are awarded on a first-come basis to qualified applicants who have filed the FAFSA in a timely manner.

For information regarding Exit Counseling, Deferment, Repayment, or Cancellation of a Federal Perkins or Nursing Loan please contact:

University Accounting Services

Federal Direct Loans

Student loan programs offer long-term, low-interest educational loans, which require repayment. Students should carefully consider the amount of debt they incur and recognize their future financial obligations. Like any other debt, a student loan is a serious financial obligation.  

Special Information Regarding Additional Unsubsidized Loan

The amendments made by this section shall be effective for loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2008. For students enrolled as regular students in eligible programs:

• The bill introduces an additional unsubsidized Stafford annual limit of $2,000 for undergraduate dependent students.

• The bill increases the additional unsubsidized Stafford annual limits by $2,000 for dependent students whose parents are unable to borrow a PLUS loan. (Previously 1st and 2nd year students would qualify for an additional $4,000, but now will qualify for $6,000. For students who have successfully completed their first two years, the limits will increase from $5,000 to $7,000.)

• The bill increases the additional unsubsidized Stafford annual limits by $2,000 for independent undergraduate students. (Previously 1st and 2nd year students would qualify for an additional $4,000, but now will qualify for $6,000. For students who have successfully completed their first two years, the limits will increase from $5,000 to $7,000.)

• The bill increases aggregate unsubsidized loan amounts for undergraduate dependent students from $23,000 to $31,000 (minus subsidized borrowing)

• The bill increases aggregate unsubsidized loan amounts for undergraduate independent students from $46,000 to $57,500 (minus subsidized borrowing)

There has been some confusion about dependent students and dependent student whose parents are unable to borrow a PLUS loan. The bill divides those students into separate categories and gives each of them a $2,000 additional unsubsidized Stafford annual loan limit increase. It does not offer a dependent student a $2,000 increase, and then another $2,000 increase if their parents are denied a PLUS loan. All Information courtesy of NASFAA.

If you wish to request these additional loans you may do so by filling out the form on our Downloadables page.

Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans

The Federal Direct Loan program enables students to borrow money directly from the Federal government. The maximum amount a freshman student can borrow is $3,500 per year, a sophomore $4,500 per year and $5,500 per year for subsequent undergraduate study. The total amount that undergraduates can borrow is $23,000. Graduate and professional students may borrow up to $18,500 per year. The total maximum amount outstanding for graduate or law students is $65,500 and $138,500 max total.

Federal Direct PLUS Loans

The Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS) program assists eligible parents in meeting educational expenses. The Federal Direct PLUS program allows parents to borrow up to the cost of education minus other resources. The interest rate for any loan for which the first disbursement is made after July 1, 1994, is variable but cannot exceed nine percent. An origination/insurance fee not to exceed four percent is deducted from the disbursed amount. Your parents may choose to defer payments on the PLUS loan until six month's after the date the student ceases to be enrolled at least half-time (six credits). The Direct Loan Servicer will provide you with the option to pay the interest that accrues on the loan prior to the start of repayment, either monthly or quarterly, or capitalized quarterly. Alternately, you may choose to begin repayment 60 days after the loan is fully disbursed, e.g. 60 days after the spring 2009 disbursement if your loan is for both fall and spring semesters, or for spring 2009 only. If you do so, the interest that accrues from the first disbursement to the start of repayment will be capitalized. If a parent is not eligible to receive to a PLUS loan due to extenuating circumstances, such as bad credit or financial hardships, the student is eligible to borrow an additional $4000 to $5000 (depending on number of credits) in unsubsidized loan money.  

If you wish to apply for a Federal Direct PLUS Loan please download the application from our Downloadables page and download the application there.

Federal Work Study (CWSP & DSEP)

The Federal Work-Study Program (FWSP) provides part-time jobs during the academic year for students who have financial need and who must earn a part of their educational expenses. Jobs may be on or off campus with a public or private nonprofit agency including jobs in community service areas. Salary will be no less than the current minimum wage and will also be associated with the type of work performed and skills required.   At the college work study office In the Student Services Building students may view and apply for current jobs.   Jobs may also be found at the Career Services Center.