Chapter	5
Summer	Terms,	Crossover	Payment	Periods,	and	Year-Round	Pell
Payment	periods	don9t	always	fall	neatly	into	one	award	year	or	another.	A	payment	period	that	begins	before	July	1	and
ends	on	or	after	July	1	is	called	a	<crossover	payment	period.=	The	formula	for	calculating	the	payment	for	a	crossover
payment	period	is	the	same	as	that	for	any	other	payment	period	in	the	award	year.
Crossover	Payment	From	the	Proper	Award	Year
For	Pell	purposes,	you	must	consider	a	crossover	payment	period	to	occur	entirely	within	one	award	year	and	calculate
the	student9s	Pell	award	and	disburse	Pell	funds	from	the	award	year	selected.	If	you	only	have	a	valid	FAFSA	Submission
Summary/ISIR	from	one	award	year,	you	must	rely	on	that	record	and	the	award	year	to	which	the	valid	FAFSA
Submission	Summary/ISIR	pertains.	Aside	from	these	considerations,	the	decision	about	which	award	year	to	use	is	based
on	the	student9s	remaining	eligibility	in	the	earlier	award	year.	This	assessment	is	made	according	to	your	school9s
payment	period	policy,	which	for	crossover	Pell	payment	periods	may	apply	to:
an	individual	student;
all	students	or	a	category	of	students	without	exception;	or
all	students	or	a	category	of	students	with	allowance	for	exceptions	in	the	case	of	individual	students.
Although	you	may	assign	a	crossover	payment	period	to	either	of	the	relevant	award	years	(subject	to	the	limitations
described	below),	you	must	make	the	assignment	based	on	what	you	determine	will	be	most	beneficial	to	students.
You	may	assign	the	Pell	Grant	award	to	a	different	award	year	than	the	rest	of	the	student9s	Title	IV	aid.	You	can	make	a
payment	for	a	crossover	payment	period	out	of	either	award	year	if	the	student	has	a	valid	FAFSA	Submission
Summary/ISIR	for	the	award	year	selected.	You	may	assign	two	consecutive	crossover	payment	periods	to	the	same
award	year.	For	example,	you	could	treat	summer	2025	and	summer	2026	as	both	being	in	the	2025-26	award	year.	You
may	also	source	the	Pell	funds	from	different	award	years	for	different	students,	as	their	eligibility	allows,	depending	on
their	remaining	eligibility	and	financial	need.
You	may	not	make	a	payment	which	will	result	in	the	student	receiving	more	than	their	Scheduled	Award	for	an	award
year,	unless	the	student	is	eligible	for	a	Year-Round	Pell	award	(see	Year-Round	Pell	Grant	section	later	in	this	chapter),	in
which	case	the	student	may	be	eligible	to	receive	up	to	150%	of	their	Scheduled	Award	for	the	award	year.
Term	Schools:	Using	the	Formula	for	Summer	Sessions
If	your	school	offers	a	summer	term	in	addition	to	fall	through	spring	terms	that	qualify	for	Formula	1	or	2,	you	will
calculate	the	student9s	payment	for	the	summer	term	using	the	same	formula	that	you	used	to	calculate	payments	for	the
other	terms	in	the	award	year	to	which	the	summer	term	is	assigned.	If	you	use	Formula	3	for	Pell	Grant	calculations	in
any	of	the	terms	in	an	award	year,	then	you	must	use	Formula	3	for	all	terms	in	that	program	occurring	in	that	award
year,	including	the	fall	through	spring	terms.	(Note	that	if	your	program	is	a	standard-term	program	in	the	fall	through
spring	and	does	not	define	full-time	enrollment	in	the	summer	as	at	least	12	credit-hours,	you	must	use	Formula	3	for	Pell
calculations	for	all	terms	in	the	award	year.)	Your	school	must	apply	its	definition	of	full-time	status	for	the
summer	term	consistently	for	all	Title	IV	program	purposes.
Crossover	Payment	Periods
34	CFR	690.64
Dear	Colleague	Letter	GEN-17-06