Cougar Pell Promise
BYU's financial aid initiative to help Pell-eligible students cover the cost of tuition.
BYU offers eligible new freshman students a last-dollar commitment for eight semesters. Cougar Pell Promise is not a loan, grant, or scholarship. It is a university guarantee to cover any remaining gaps in undergraduate Latter-day Saint tuition charges after grants, scholarships, and benefits are received for eight semesters.
Changes to Cougar Pell Promise for the 2024-2025 Academic Year
Starting the 2024-2025 academic year, the federal government is changing how Pell Grants are calculated. Due to these changes, students who are initial applicants for the Cougar Pell Promise must qualify for more than the "Minimum Pell Grant" on the FAFSA in order to be eligible for the Cougar Pell Promise.
-
Toggle ItemInitial Qualifications
- Apply and be admitted to BYU during your senior year of high school.
- Complete the online BYU scholarship application by the published scholarship deadline.
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by January 20 and be certified as Pell-eligible for more than the "Minimum Pell Grant."
- If selected for FAFSA verification, you must complete it within 30 days of your initial notification in order to establish eligibility for the Cougar Pell Promise. If you do not complete verification, it will be canceled, and you will lose eligibility for Cougar Pell Promise for all eight semesters.
- If you are leaving on a mission or military service and selected for FAFSA verification, you must complete verification before leaving on your mission or military service to establish eligibility for Cougar Pell Promise. You must complete verification even if you have not attended BYU before your service. If verification is not completed, you will lose eligibility for the Cougar Pell Promise program for all eight semesters.
- Students entering BYU during winter semester must be mid-year high school graduates. They must complete the scholarship application by August 1 and the FAFSA by July 20.
-
Toggle ItemDeparting Missionaries
- Apply and be admitted to BYU during your senior year of high school, even if you leave on your mission or military service directly out of high school before attending BYU.
- Complete the online BYU scholarship application by the published scholarship deadline.
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by January 20 and be certified as Pell-eligible for more than the "Minimum Pell Grant."
- If you are selected for financial aid verification, it MUST be completed BEFORE leaving on your mission or military service to establish initial eligibility. You must complete verification even if you have not attended BYU before your service. If verification is not completed, you will lose eligibility for the Cougar Pell Promise for all eight semesters.
- Complete your Mission Deferment form to defer your Cougar Pell Promise.
-
Toggle ItemMaintaining Continuing Eligibility
- Complete the online BYU scholarship application each year by the continuing student scholarship deadline.
Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year by January 20. Please note the following:
- If you are first awarded before the 2024-2025 academic year, you must be eligible for a Pell Grant when you are first granted the Cougar Pell Promise. You can still maintain the Cougar Pell Promise in the following years even if you are not eligible for the Pell Grant.
- If you are first awarded beginning with the 2024-2025 academic year, you must be eligible for more than the "Minimum Pell Grant" when first granted the Cougar Pell Promise. You can still maintain the Cougar Pell Promise in the following years even if you are not eligible for more than the "Minimum Pell Grant."
- Maintain a 2.00 cumulative BYU GPA.
- Enroll in 12 credit hours each semester. Cougar Pell Promise does not cover spring/summer terms.
-
Toggle ItemAdditional Information
- After initial qualification, semesters of eligibility may be deferred for full-time missionary or active-duty military service.
- Eligibility is forfeited for semesters with fewer than 12 credit hours of enrollment and non-enrollment, except for approved deferments. Each fall or winter semester without full-time enrollment or an approved deferment is deducted from the eight-semester limit.
- Cougar Pell Promise does not cover spring/summer tuition charges.
- Cougar Pell Promise will not cover tuition charges incurred for withdrawing from a semester/term.
- Maximum coverage is capped at the value of Latter-day Saint tuition. However, eligible recipients do not need to be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and can receive Cougar Pell Promise up to the Latter-day Saint tuition.
- Cougar Pell Promise only applies to undergraduate tuition. Once a recipient graduates or starts a program that charges graduate-level tuition amounts, the program ceases.
- Institutional, federal, and third-party scholarships, grants, and benefits totals are considered before adding the Cougar Pell Promise. As these funds are received or withdrawn, Cougar Pell Promise adjusts to cover the remaining gap up to the value of Latter-day Saint tuition.
- A semester will still count as one of the eight semesters of Cougar Pell Promise even if Cougar Pell Promise funds are not used because tuition is covered by institutional, federal, and third-party scholarships, grants, and benefits.
- For Cougar Pell Promise purposes, scholarship amounts offered and not claimed, are the values used in the calculation.
- Student loans and 529-plan payments do not affect the coverage calculations for Cougar Pell Promise recipients.
- You will be notified of the Cougar Pell Promise the same day as your admission decision. You can monitor and track your Cougar Pell Promise every semester through a customized dashboard.