I got my first BA in English and I want to get another one in graphic design. I only used 4 years of Pell grants. Am I still eligible for this new degree program?
ANSWER:
No, you are not eligible for Pell grants, any longer. Even if your degree was from an unaccredited school or if your current school will not accept it, you still have a BA in the eyes of the federal government. Although it is true that by law, students can use Pell grants for up to nine years- once you have your bachelor's degree, you are no longer eligible.
Even if you had decided not to graduate, but simply switched your major, your school probably would have determined that you had enough credits to get your degree, and so you would not have been eligible for more awards, anyway. This is the way Pell grants have always worked. They can only be used until you have achieved your first four year degree.
Aside from the idea of discouraging "professional students", the reasoning behind this is that once you have gained a bachelor's degree, you are theoretically supposed to be able to afford any additional schooling you might need, on your own. If the B.A. doesn't give you the means to do this, then it wouldn't have been worth spending public money on, in the first place, correct?
