Financial Aid Census Date and Schedule Changes

Financial Aid Census Date and Adding/Dropping Courses

Your financial aid award is prepared based on anticipated full-time enrollment. If your actual attendance is less than that (e.g. half-time), your awards will be adjusted accordingly. In addition, Sandburg adjusts awards each semester, as required, based on the student’s enrollment as of the “Census Date” for that semester. Specifically, Pell Grant payments will be based on the number of credit hours for which a student is enrolled as of the Census Date for that semester.

The Census Date for Fall 2021 is August 31, 2021.
The Census Date for Spring 2022 is January 26, 2022.
The Census Date for Summer 2022 is June 17, 2022.

To ensure receipt of the maximum Pell Grant eligible to receive as well as avoid having to pay back Pell Grant funds already posted to accounts, students are STRONGLY encouraged to finalize their course schedule no later than the Census Date.

Students drop before the Census Date: The Pell Grant payment made at the beginning of the semester is based on the student’s enrollment as of the census date. If a student drops any classes between the beginning of the semester and the Census Date, the financial aid will be recalculated.
Students are paid upfront for courses that begin throughout the term. Financial Aid awards are adjusted and money must be repaid if the student fails to start a course that begins after the Financial Aid Census Date.
Students add classes after the Census Date: If a student adds a class after the Census Date for the semester, the student's Pell Grant will not be increased. Classes added after the Census Date will not be eligible to be counted for Pell Grant eligibility purposes, although they may still be counted for Federal Direct Loan and Illinois Monetary Award eligibility purposes.
Students initially enroll for the semester after the Census Date for the semester: The Census Date for that student will be the date of their initial enrollment.