I started college online with a private school. (The Art Institute of Philadelphia) Due to health reasons I had to cancel. I finished one class and the Art Institute was awarded money with the Pell Grant. This was back in 2009. Now I am going to work towards a Certificate ( Office Assistant) through my local Jr College. Am I still eligible to receive another Pell Grant?
ANSWER
As long as you do not owe the government (or the Art Institute of Philadelphia) for an overaward due to your dropping of classes, or for a student loan, you should be able to file your FAFSA and be eligible for whatever your finances and cost of attendance would normally award you.
Students are eligible for Pell grants as long as they have not achieved a B.A. (or the equivalent). Once they get their four year degree, they cannot get another Pell grant, even if they are trying to get a lesser certificate in another field of study.
You can actually receive awards for nine years of school, if it takes that long. Now, you might not get as much as you did for the online private school, simply because your local junior college probably costs a lot less money. If your financial situation or your dependency status has changed much since 2009, that would also affect your Pell grant amounts.
