Pell-eligible students whose parent or guardian died in the line of duty while serving as a public safety officer is eligible, under the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship, to receive a maximum Federal Pell Grant award.
Federal Pell Grants are awarded to both full- and part-time undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelors or professional degree. In certain situations, an eligible student can receive up to 150% of their scheduled Federal Pell Grant for an award year.
Please note that any changes to the FAFSA data may result in an adjustment to your Federal Pell Grant, including but not limited to:
- Review of your FAFSA due to Verification.
- Enrollment less than full-time (12 credits for undergraduate). Students who will be enrolled less than full-time must complete the Enrollment Update Form. We also recommend that you contact our office to discuss how part-time enrollment may impact your award(s).
- Corrections made by staff due to conflicting university data.
UMBC is required to monitor its students’ academic progress to ensure that they maintain a minimum standard GPA and make steady progress towards degree completion. Students who do not meet the SAP requirements may lost their financial aid eligibility.
You will receive an electronic notification each time your award package has been adjusted.
To qualify, a student must:
- Be otherwise Pell-eligible.
- Have a Pell-eligible EFC greater than $0.
- Be less than 24 years of age OR enrolled at an institution of higher education at the time of their parent or guardian’s death.
A public safety officer is defined as:
- An individual serving a public agency in an official capacity, with or without compensation, as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or chaplain;
- An employee of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) who is performing official duties of the agency, if those official duties–
- are related to a major disaster or emergency that has been, or is later declared to exist with respect to the area under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act; and
- are determined by FEMA to be hazardous duties;
- An employee of a state, local, or tribal emergency management or civil defense agency who is performing official duties in cooperation with FEMA, if those official duties–
- are related to a major disaster or emergency that has been, or is later declared to exist with respect to the area under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act; and
- are determined by the agency to be hazardous duties;
- A member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew who, as authorized or licensed by law and by the applicable agency or entity, is engaging in rescue activity or in the provision of emergency medical services; or
- A fire police officer, defined as an individual who is serving in accordance with state or local law as an officially-recognized or designated member of a legally organized public safety agency and provides scene security or directs traffic in response to any fire drill, fire call, or other fire, rescue, or police emergency, or at a planned, special event.
A parent or guardian includes non-custodial parents, step-parents, and parents of independent students. In all cases, the parent/guardian status at the time of death is the qualifying eligibility criterion. This may be different from the current parent/guardian status.
Decisions will be communicated to a student’s UMBC e-mail. Eligible students will see the award offer on their myUMBC account updated to include the maximum Federal Pell Grant. If a student is determined to be eligible and continues to meet all eligibility criteria, the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship will automatically carry forward into future academic years.