The Pell Census Date is the point in the quarter when enrollment (credit load) is locked in for financial aid purposes. During fall, winter and spring terms, the census date correlates with the last day you can drop courses for a full tuition refund at Bates Technical College.
Example: A student received financial aid at the beginning of the term based on their full-time enrollment (12 or more credits). Then, the student dropped credits before Pell Census. All types of aid are then reviewed and revised to match their eligibility based on the number of credits they are enrolled in as of the Pell Census Date. If a student withdraws from all the courses after the census date, further aid adjustments may be needed.
For Pell Census Dates, please refer to the college calendar.
How does the pell census work?
During the term, the census correlates with the last date you can add or drop courses. You must actively participate in all of your courses in order to earn the federal financial aid that was disbursed for that term.
If you drop a course(s) before the first day of the quarter, if we were unable to verify your participation in a course, financial aid is required to review all credit load adjustments and possibly reduce awards. The reversed aid will be returned to the Department of Education. This reversal of aid may create a new bill on your Bates Technical College financial account.
Reasons to plan your classes carefully and pay attention to the census date:
- Maximum financial award: To make certain you receive your max limit of grants for which you are eligible, and to avoid repaying funds that were already applied to your account, we strongly encourage you to finalize your course schedule prior to the start of each quarter. Contact the financial aid office (financialaid@batestech.edu) prior to any enrollment adjustments.
- Dropping classes before census date: All Title IV aid payments that were awarded at the beginning of the quarter are based on your enrollment as of the day the grant(s) was disbursed. If you drop some or all classes between the time of the initial award payment and the census date for the quarter, your Title IV aid may be reduced, which may create a financial aid adjustment due on your student account.