Award Amount
The amount of a full-time Segal AmeriCorps Education Award is equivalent to the maximum value of the Pell Grant for the fiscal year in which the term of national service is approved. The amount of the Pell Grant can change each year. Therefore, the amount of a full-time award can change. Once an individual earns an award, the dollar amount of that award will not change. The award amount for less than half-time service programs varies based on the required terms of service.
Segal AmeriCorps Education Award amounts for national service positions approved in Fiscal Year 2021 (October 1, 2020-September 30, 2021)
| Participation Types | Minimum # of hours | Amounts |
Full-time (FT) | 1,700 | $6,345.00 |
Three Quarters Time (TQT) | 1,200 | $4,441.50 |
Half-Time (HT) | 900 | $3,172.50 |
Reduced Half-Time (RHT) | 675 | $2,417.14 |
Quarter-Time (QT) | 450 | $1,678.57 |
Minimal-Time & Summer Associate (MT & SA) | 300 | $1,342.86 |
| AmeriCorps Affiliate (AT) | 100 | $357.08 |
Segal AmeriCorps Education Award amounts for national service positions approved in Fiscal Year 2020 (October 1, 2019 - September 30, 2020)
| Participation Types | Minimum # of hours | Amounts |
Full-time (FT) | 1,700 | $6,195.00 |
Reduced Full-Time (RFT) | 1,200 | $4,336.50 |
Half-Time (HT) | 900 | $3,097.50 |
Reduced Half-Time (RHT) | 675 | $2,360.00 |
Quarter-Time (QT) | 450 | $1,638.89 |
Minimal-Time & Summer Associate (MT & SA) | 300 | $1,311.11 |
| AmeriCorps Affiliate (AT) | 100 | $348.64 |
If you are uncertain about the amount of your award, contact your AmeriCorps program or project sponsor.
Eligibility
Anyone who completes a term of service within a 12-month period, in one of the following programs, is eligible to earn an education award.
- AmeriCorps NCCC
- AmeriCorps State and National
- AmeriCorps VISTA*
*VISTA members who complete a term of service within a 12-month period may be eligible to choose a cash option in place of the education award. See the section called VISTA Cash Stipend on the Use Your Education Award web page for more information.
Limitations
There are limitations on the number of terms an individual can serve in each AmeriCorps program, and on the maximum value of education awards one individual can receive.
Current limits on number of terms an individual can serve:
- AmeriCorps NCCC- no limit on service terms, but members may NOT serve more than two consecutive NCCC terms without a break of at least 10 months before serving again
- AmeriCorps State and National- four terms
- AmeriCorps VISTA- five total years of service
Although an individual can serve more than two terms, a person cannot earn more than the value of two, full-time education awards.
Each term of service for which an individual earns an education award counts as one term of service in computing the term limitations. This includes terms for which a member earns a full-time, half-time, and any other type part-time or prorated education award. A prorated education award is an award that may be earned when an individual, for reasons beyond his or her control, cannot complete the entire service period. Generally, if a member is released before completing a term of service and does not receive the education award, that term counts as one of the terms served.
The Value of an Education Award
Even though an individual may serve multiple terms, by law, an individual cannot receive more than the aggregate (or total) value of two full-time education awards.
The value of an education award refers to the service opportunity offered by a particular term of service, such as full-time, half-time, and summer terms of service. As examples, the value of a full-time award is always "1.0"; the value of a half-time award is always "0.5". While the dollar amount of the award for a particular term may change from year to year, the value of the earned award remains the same.
In the unique situation of a transferred education award, two individuals receive education awards—the person who completed the term of service and transferred the award, as well as the recipient of the transferred award. Therefore, since both individuals have received awards, the corresponding values will be added to both individuals’ calculations for awards received.
The value of a transferred award will be calculated using the same formula used in determining values of an award that was earned. The value of a transferred award is calculated by dividing the dollar amount of the transferred award by the dollar amount of a full time award at the time the award was earned. This is true regardless of whether the entire award or a portion of the award was transferred.
Current and former members can track the value and the dollar amounts of each of their education awards using the MyAmeriCorps Portal.
Title: Amount, Eligibility, and Limitations
Date issued: October 1, 2020
Date posted: February 28, 2020
Unique identifier: Trust 004
Topic: Amounts and Eligibility of Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
Summary: This breaks down the amounts, eligibility, limitations, and value of the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award.
The contents of this document do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public in any way. This document is intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies.