# 34 CFR § 691.63 - Calculation of a grant for a payment period.

§ 691.63 Calculation of a grant for a payment period.

(a)

(1) Programs using standard terms with at least 30 weeks of instructional time. A student's grant for a payment period is calculated under paragraphs (b) or (d) of this section if -

(i) The student is enrolled in an eligible program that -

(A) Measures progress in credit hours;

(B) Is offered in semesters, trimesters, or quarters; and

(C) Requires the student to enroll for at least 12 credit hours in each term in the award year to qualify as a full-time student; and

(ii) The program uses an academic calendar that provides at least 30 weeks of instructional time in -

(A) Two semesters or trimesters in the fall through the following spring, or three quarters in the fall, winter, and spring, none of which overlaps any other term (including a summer term) in the program; or

(B) Any two semesters or trimesters, or any three quarters where -

(1) The institution starts its terms for different cohorts of students on a periodic basis (e.g., monthly);

(2) The program is offered exclusively in semesters, trimesters, or quarters; and

(3) Students are not allowed to be enrolled simultaneously in overlapping terms and must stay with the cohort in which they start unless they withdraw from a term (or skip a term) and re-enroll in a subsequent term.

(2) Programs using standard terms with less than 30 weeks of instructional time. A student's payment for a payment period is calculated under paragraph (c) or (d) of this section if -

(i) The student is enrolled in an eligible program that -

(A) Measures progress in credit hours;

(B) Is offered in semesters, trimesters, or quarters;

(C) Requires the student to enroll in at least 12 credit hours in each term in the award year to qualify as a full-time student; and

(D) Is not offered with overlapping terms; and

(ii) The institution offering the program -

(A) Provides the program using an academic calendar that includes two semesters or trimesters in the fall through the following spring, or three quarters in the fall, winter, and spring; and

(B) Does not provide at least 30 weeks of instructional time in the terms specified in paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(A) of this section.

(3) Other programs using terms and credit hours. A student's payment for a payment period is calculated under paragraph (d) of this section if the student is enrolled in an eligible program that -

(i) Measures progress in credit hours; and

(ii) Is offered in academic terms other than those described in paragraphs (a)(1) and (a)(2) of this section.

(4) Programs not using terms or using clock hours. A student's payment for any payment period is calculated under paragraph (e) of this section if the student is enrolled in an eligible program that -

(i) Is offered in credit hours but is not offered in academic terms; or

(ii) Is offered in clock hours.

(5) Programs for which an exception to the academic year definition has been granted under 34 CFR 668.3. If an institution receives a waiver from the Secretary of the 30 weeks of instructional time requirement under 34 CFR 668.3, an institution may calculate a student's payment for a payment period using the following methodologies:

(i) If the program is offered in terms and credit hours, the institution uses the methodology in -

(A) Paragraph (b) of this section provided that the program meets all the criteria in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, except that in lieu of paragraph (a)(1)(ii)(B) of this section, the program provides at least the same number ofweeks of instructional time in the terms specified in paragraph (a)(1)(ii)(A) of this section as are in the program's academic year; or

(B) Paragraph (d) of this section.

(ii) The institution uses the methodology described in paragraph (e) of this section if the program is offered in credit hours without terms or clock hours.

(b) Programs using standard terms with at least 30 weeks of instructional time. The payment for a payment period, i.e., an academic term, for a student in a program using standard terms with at least 30 weeks of instructional time in two semesters or trimesters or in three quarters as described in paragraph (a)(1)(ii)(A) of this section, is calculated by -

(1) Determining his or her enrollment status for the term;

(2) Based upon that enrollment status, determining his or her ACG or National SMART Grant annual award under § 691.62; and

(3) Dividing the amount described under paragraph (b)(2) of this section by -

(i) Two at institutions using semesters or trimesters or three at institutions using quarters; or

(ii) The number of terms over which the institution chooses to distribute the student's ACG or National SMART Grant annual award if -

(A) An institution chooses to distribute all of the student's ACG or National SMART Grant annual award determined under paragraph (b)(2) of this section over more than two terms at institutions using semesters or trimesters or more than three quarters at institutions using quarters; and

(B) The number of weeks of instructional time in the terms, including the additional term or terms, equals the weeks of instructional time in the program's academic year.

(c) Programs using standard terms with less than 30 weeks of instructional time. The payment for a payment period, i.e., an academic term, for a student in a program using standard terms with less than 30 weeks of instructional time in two semesters or trimesters or in three quarters as described in paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(A) of this section, is calculated by -

(1) Determining his or her enrollment status for the term;

(2) Based upon that enrollment status, determining his or her ACG or National SMART Grant annual award under § 691.62;

(3) Multiplying his or her ACG or National SMART Grant annual award determined under paragraph (c)(2) of this section by the following fraction as applicable: or

In a program using semesters or trimesters -

$\frac{\begin{array}{c}\text{The number of weeks of instructional time offered in the}\\ \text{program in the fall and spring semesters or trimesters}\end{array}}{\begin{array}{c}\text{The number of weeks of instructional time in the program's}\\ \text{academic year}\end{array}}$

; or
In a program using quarters -

$\frac{\begin{array}{c}\text{The number of weeks of instructional time offered in the}\\ \text{program in the fall, winter, and spring quarters}\end{array}}{\begin{array}{c}\text{The number of weeks of instructional time in the program's}\\ \text{academic year}\end{array}}$

; and

(4)

(i) Dividing the amount determined under paragraph (c)(3) of this section by two for programs using semesters or trimesters or three for programs using quarters; or

(ii) Dividing the student's ACG or National SMART Grant annual award determined under paragraph (c)(2) of this section by the number of terms over which the institution chooses to distribute the student's ACG or National SMART Grant annual award if -

(A) An institution chooses to distribute all of the student's ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award determined under paragraph (c)(2) of this section over more than two terms for programs using semesters or trimesters or more than three quarters for programs using quarters; and

(B) The number of weeks of instructional time in the terms, including the additional term or terms, equals the weeks of instructional time in the program's academic year definition.

(d) Other programs using terms and credit hours. The payment for a payment period, i.e., an academic term, for a student in a program using terms and credit hours, other than those described in paragraphs (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section, is calculated by -

(1) Determining his or her enrollment status for the term;

(2) Based upon that enrollment status, determining his or her ACG or National SMART Grant annual award under § 691.62; and

(A) Dividing the number of weeks of instructional time in the term by the number of weeks of instructional time in the program's academic year;

(B) Multiplying the fraction determined under paragraph (d)(1)(ii)(A) of this section by the number of credit hours in the program's academic year to determine the number of hours required to be enrolled to be considered a full-time student; and

(C) Determining a student's enrollment status by comparing the number of hours in which the student enrolls in the term to the number of hours required to be considered full-time under paragraph (d)(1)(ii)(B) of this section for that term;

(3) Multiplying his or her ACG or National SMART Grant annual awarddetermined under paragraph (d)(2) of this section by the following fraction:

$\frac{\begin{array}{c}\text{The number of weeks of}\\ \text{instructional time in the term}\end{array}}{\begin{array}{c}\text{The number of weeks of instructional}\\ \text{time in the program's academic year}\end{array}}$

(e) Programs using credit hours without terms or clock hours. The grant for a payment period for a student in a program using credit hours without terms or using clock hours is calculated by -

(1) Determining that the student is attending at least half-time;

(2) Determining the student's ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award; and

(3) Multiplying the ACG or National SMART Grant amount determined under paragraph (e)(2) of this section by the lesser of -

(i)

$\frac{\text{The number of credit or clock hours in the payment period}}{\text{The number of credit or clock hours in the program's academic year}};$

or

(ii)

$\frac{\text{The number of weeks of instructional time in the payment period}}{\text{The number of weeks of instructional time in the program's academic year}}$

(f) Maximum disbursement. A single disbursement may not exceed 50 percent of any award determined under paragraph (d)) of this section. If a payment for a payment period calculated under paragraph (d) of this section would require the disbursement of more than 50 percent of a student's ACG or National SMART Grant annual award in that payment period, the institution shall make at least two disbursements to the student in that payment period. The institution may not disburse an amount that exceeds 50 percent of the student's ACG or National SMART Grant annual award until the student has completed the period of time in the payment period that equals, in terms of weeks of instructional time, 50 percent of the weeks of instructional time in the program's academic year.

(g) Definition of academic year. For purposes of this section, an institution must define an academic year for each of its eligible programs in terms of the number of credit or clock hours and weeks of instructional time in accordance with the requirements of 34 CFR 668.3.

(h) Payment period and grade level progression. A student may not progress to the next year during a payment period. The student's payment for the payment period -

(1) Is from the ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award of the year being completed; and

(2) Is calculated based on the student's credit or clock hours for the payment period, and weeks of instructional time in the payment period.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-1)
[71 FR 38004, July 3, 2006, as amended at 72 FR 62034, Nov. 1, 2007; 74 FR 20224, May 1, 2009; 74 FR 31182, June 30, 2009]