SCAP Question About Financial Aid Adjustment After Dropping a Class
I feel so hopeless, and it’s totally my fault. There are two things I was completely unaware of regarding FAFSA and SCAP at ASU. Last semester, I didn’t qualify for SCAP by the start of the semester, so I received a Federal Pell Grant of $3,698 and took out $7,250 in unsubsidized federal loans. I’m 25, an independent student, work part-time at Starbucks, and am scheduled to graduate in December 2026. That financial aid fully covered my tuition and left me with a refund that covered my housing, food, transportation, etc., so I could work less and focus on school. About three weeks later, SCAP unexpectedly gave me an additional $3,866.
The way Starbucks markets “free tuition for a first bachelor’s degree” made it seem like they cover tuition up front, and that unexpected SCAP payout in Spring 2026 gave me the impression that they would fully cover my tuition moving forward. Because of that, I thought my Pell Grant this summer would help with school-related and living expenses while Starbucks covered tuition. I was very wrong.
I reached out to the financial aid office, and apparently, I’ve already used my annual unsubsidized federal loan limit. I graduated from community college last December, so I’m not surprised, and honestly, I wasn’t really thinking about the limit because I initially wasn’t planning on taking summer classes. I’m taking 13 credits this summer, but without the extra financial help from a refund, I’m considering dropping my 4-credit science class for Session A so I can focus more on working and less on school.
My question is this: if I were to drop that class, would the financial aid office rebalance everything? I know my Pell Grant would drop to three-quarter-time status, but if the Starbucks aid that’s already been applied stays the same, that could really help my current situation. I was relying on a refund to help with housing this semester, so I’m feeling pretty lost.
If the SCAP tuition assistance stays the same, would part of the three-quarter-time Pell Grant be refunded to me, or would it just go toward covering the remaining classes I’m taking? Does that make sense? I guess I should’ve done more research on how the SCAP program works.