Federal Grants
Federal Pell Grant (PELL) and Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
Pell Grants are awarded only to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's degree. Eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant is partially determined by the number of credit hours in which you are enrolled during the semester. Del Mar College's award letters show student eligibility for Federal Pell Grant funds for eligible students assuming that the students will take at least 12 credit hours per semester.
Financial Aid Services adjusts the amount of Pell Grant that students receive if the number of credit hours that students are enrolled in changes through the census date of each semester. For more information on eligibility requirements, please refer to the sections that follow.
Award Amounts
Awards are based on your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) as determined by the FAFSA and by your level of enrollment. How much you may receive will depend on your EFC, your cost of attendance, your enrollment status and whether you attend school for a full academic year. You may only receive Pell Grant funds from one institution at a time.
Pell eligible students can now receive up to 150% of their award to use during the fall, spring and summer of each award year.
Enrollment Levels and Equivalent Credit Hours
| Levels of Enrollment |
Equivalent Credit Hours |
| Full Time |
12 or more credit hours |
| Three-Quarters Time |
9–11 credit hours |
| Half Time |
6–8 credit hours |
| Less Than Half Time |
5 or less credit hours |
Eligibility
To determine if you are eligible, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) established a standard formula to evaluate the information you report when you apply. The formula produces an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) number. The lower the EFC number, the more aid you are eligible for. Your Student Aid Report (SAR) and the Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) contain this number and will tell you if you are eligible.
The following are the basic eligibility requirements to be considered for Federal Aid (Title IV programs):
- Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- Meet all ED eligibility requirements including but not limited to:
- Demonstrate financial need
- High School Equivalency Program (GED, HiSET & TASC)
- Register with the Selective Services, if required
- Be a U.S. citizen or Eligible Non-citizen
- Have a valid Social Security Number
- Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program
- Meet the standards of the DMC Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy.
Additional Requirements
Financial Aid Services monitors requirements that can affect your eligibility for Federal Pell Grant funds, including but not limited to the following:
- Your continued enrollment within a semester. If you withdraw/are withdrawn, you may be required to repay funds awarded to you.
- Your grades. If you do not earn at least one passing grade in a semester, you may be required to repay funds awarded to you.
- Developmental courses you attempt. We may only fund 30 credit hours of developmental work (10 developmental courses) over your educational career. If a Pell eligible student attempts his/her 11th or greater developmental course, that course cannot be counted in the student’s enrollment status.
- Repeated Coursework. The definition of a full-time student was amended to allow repeated coursework to count toward enrollment status in term-based programs.
- Lifetime Eligibility Used. Students may only receive a Pell Grant for six years of full-time enrollment (equivalent to 12 semesters or 600%) during their lifetime. This change affects all students regardless of when or where they received their first Pell Grant.
- Unusual Enrollment History. New regulations have been established to prevent fraud and abuse in the Federal Pell Grant Program by identifying students with unusual enrollment histories. Financial Aid Services is required to review your enrollment and financial aid record to determine if, during the past four award years, you had legitimate reasons for the unusual enrollment history.
- Attendance Verification. Eligibility to receive Title IV aid is partially determined by the number of classes that you attend; you cannot receive aid for classes in which you are registered but do not attend at least once.
Fund Disbursements
DMC will credit Pell Grant funds to your school account to pay for tuition, fees and other school related costs which appear on your student account (institutional charges). If you are eligible for funds in excess of your institutional charges, after completing eligibility verification, DMC will pay you the difference via the refund preference of your choice. As a registered student, you will receive a refund selection kit with instructions on choosing how you want to receive your financial aid or course refunds. All financial aid funds and refunds will be disbursed according to your refund choice. Your options for receiving your refunds are electronic deposit to an existing bank account or a paper check to be mailed to the address you have on file with the Admissions Office.
Book allowance and final refund release dates are provided to students before the start of each semester; these dates are available on the Financial Aid Refund Dates section of the Del Mar College website (https://www.delmar.edu/becoming-a-viking/afford/disbursement.html).
Students' eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant takes time. Financial Aid Services must confirm, through an enrollment verification process that all students have attended all of the courses that they have enrolled in. The enrollment verification takes place after census date of each semester and may take up to three weeks.
Can I receive a Federal Pell Grant if I am enrolled less than half-time?
Yes, if your EFC is low enough to be eligible. You will not receive as much as if you were enrolled full time, but DMC will disburse your Pell Grant funds in accordance with your enrollment status.
State Grants
Texas Public Educational Grant (TPEG)
A Texas Public Educational Opportunity Grant (TPEG) was established by the Texas Legislature to help students with financial need attend public community colleges, public technical colleges, or public state colleges in Texas. The TPEG does not have to be repaid.
Eligibility Requirements
You must be meeting eligibility requirements listed earlier in the catalog. There is no additional application to apply for this grant besides the FAFSA.
You must be registered and attending at least 6 credit hours during the fall and/or spring terms and at least 3 credit hours during the summer I term. TPEG funds are not awarded for the summer II term.
Note: There is no guarantee every eligible student will be able to receive a TPEG, as funds are limited.
Non-Resident Texas Public Education Grant (TPEGN) Funds
Non-resident Texas Public Education Grant is a grant that is generated from funds that non-resident students pay for tuition and fees at DMC. These funds are very limited and are set aside every year to award non-resident students and do not have to be repaid. You must be registered and attending at least 6 credit hours during the fall and/or spring terms and at least 3 credit hours during the summer I term. TPEGN funds are not awarded for the summer II term.
Texas Educational Opportunity Grant Initial (TEOG1)
The TEOG was established by the Texas Legislature to help students with financial need attend public community colleges, public technical colleges, or public state colleges in Texas.
Eligibility
To determine if you are eligible for a TEOG, you must complete and submit a FAFSA and have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) less than or equal to 5233. Funding is limited, so you need to submit your application as soon as possible after January 1. You must also be a Texas Resident (or a non-resident who graduated from a Texas high school, or received a High School Equivalency Program (GED, HiSET & TASC) in Texas, and have resided in Texas for three years leading up to graduation or receiving a High School Equivalency Program (GED, HiSET & TASC). You must also have resided in Texas for 12 months prior to the census date of the semester in which you will enroll at DMC and will file or have filed an Application for Permanent Residency at the earliest opportunity you are eligible to do so.
Other requirements include the following:
- Enroll in at least 6 to 8 credit hours (half time status)
- Be in the first 30 credit hours of an associate degree or certificate program at a public two-year college in Texas
- Have not been granted an associate degree or bachelor's degree
- Must register with Selective Service (if male)
- Have not been convicted of a felony or crime involving a controlled substance
Grant Restrictions
Students receiving TEOG who continue in college and who meet the program academic requirements can receive awards for up to 75 semester credit hours, for four years, or until they receive an associate degree, whichever comes first.
Academic Requirements
The academic requirements for continuing to receive the grant are as follows:
- Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA, and
- Complete at least 75% of attempted hours.
Award Amounts
Award amounts must be prorated in relation to the student’s enrollment status as of the census date for the semester. The maximum award amounts based on this required proration can be seen in following table:
TEOG Maximum Award Amounts (by Credit Hours)
| Credit Hours |
Maximum Award |
| 12 or more credit hours |
$1,636.00 |
| 9–11 credit hours |
$1,227.00 |
| 6–8 credit hours |
$818.00 |
| 5 or less credit hours |
$0.00 |
Fund Disbursements
DMC will credit TEOG funds to your school account to pay for tuition, fees and other school related costs which appear on your student account (institutional charges). If you are eligible for funds in excess of your institutional charges, after completing eligibility verification, DMC will pay you the difference via the refund preference of your choice. As a registered student, you will receive a refund selection kit with instructions on choosing how you want to receive your financial aid or course refunds. All financial aid funds and refunds will be disbursed according to your refund choice. Your options for receiving your refunds are either electronic deposit to an existing bank account or a paper check to be mailed to the address you have on file with the Admissions Office. For more information, please see the eRefunds and TouchNet Refunds section of the Del Mar College website (https://www.delmar.edu/becoming-a-viking/afford/tuition-and-costs/erefunds-touchnet.html).
Book allowance and final refund release dates are provided to students before the start of each semester; those are published at the Financial Aid Refund Dates section of the Del Mar College website (https://www.delmar.edu/becoming-a-viking/afford/disbursement.html).
Texas Educational Opportunity Grant Renewal (TEOG2)
The TEOG Grant was established by the Texas Legislature to help students with financial need attend public community colleges, public technical colleges, or public state colleges in Texas.
Eligibility
To receive a renewal award through the TEOG Program, you must
- Be enrolled at least half-time as an undergraduate student who previously received an initial TEOG award and has not yet been granted an associate or bachelor's degree;
- Be classified by the institution as a Texas resident;
- Have a calculated financial need;
- Have applied for available financial assistance;
- Have not been convicted of a felony or crime involving a controlled substance;
- Be registered with Selective Service, or be exempt;
- Not be concurrently receiving a renewal TEXAS Grant; and
- Maintain satisfactory academic progress
Grant Restrictions
Students receiving TEOG who continue in college and who meet the program academic requirements can receive awards for up to 75 semester credit hours, for four years, or until they receive an associate degree, whichever comes first.
Award Amounts
Award amounts must be prorated in relation to the student’s enrollment status as of the census date for the semester. The maximum award amounts based on this required proration can be seen in the following table:
TEOG Maximum Award Amounts (by Credit Hours)
| Credit Hours |
Maximum Award |
| 12 or more credit hours |
$1,636.00 |
| 9–11 credit hours |
$1,227.00 |
| 6–8 credit hours |
$818.00 |
| 5 or less credit hours |
$0.00 |
Academic Requirements
The academic requirements for continuing to receive the grant are as follows:
- Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA, and
- Complete at least 75% of attempted hours.
Scholarships
Del Mar College Foundation, Inc. offers over $1.2 million in scholarships each year to help deserving students pay for their college education. Scholarships are monetary awards to students that do not have to be repaid. Every scholarship awarded by the Foundation is made possible through charitable gifts from individuals, corporations, organizations or foundations. Scholarships are awarded based on scholastic achievement, financial need, field of study or a variety of criteria set by the benefactor. Average awards are between $500 to $2,000 and students can be awarded multiple scholarships to help offset the cost of education. The Foundation oversees more than 440 different scholarship funds made available through generous donation or grants.
A single online application matches students to all Del Mar College Foundation scholarships for which they are eligible. Students are not required to fill out the FASFA. However, it is recommended as FAFSA scores are used to determine eligibility for any Foundation scholarships in which financial need is required. The online application is open February through April of each year with scholarships awarded for the upcoming academic year (Fall/Spring or Fall/Spring/Summer). Apply online at the Scholarships section of the Del Mar College website (https://www.delmar.edu/scholarship).
Emergency scholarships are available for students encountering unexpected situations which jeopardize their ability to complete their program of study. Emergency scholarships are awarded on a case-by-case basis throughout the year as funding is available. Emergency scholarship applications are available at the Del Mar College Foundation, Inc. office located in the Del Mar College Center for Economic Development, 3209 S. Staples, Room 131 or the application can be downloaded and printed through the Emergency Assistance section of the Del Mar College website (https://www.delmar.edu/foundation/scholarships/emergency.html).
Viking Loans are short-term, no-cost loans to help students bridge short-term gaps in funding and allow them to continue their educational program. These loans are for the duration of a single semester and to be repaid during that time period Viking Loan applications are available at the Del Mar College Foundation Inc. office located in the Del Mar College Center for Economic Development, 3209 S. Staples, Room 133, or the application can be downloaded and printed through the Emergency Assistance section of the Del Mar College website (https://www.delmar.edu/foundation/scholarships/emergency.html). Applications can be turned into the DMC Foundation Office.
For additional information on Del Mar College Foundation scholarships, visit the DMC Foundation section of the Del Mar College website (https://www.delmar.edu/foundation) or contact the Foundation Office at (361) 698-1317.