Students who are Pell-eligible may wish to purchase their books from an alternate source. To do this, the student has the right to request an early disbursement of a portion of their Pell Grant.

• The maximum early disbursement allowed will be calculated by subtracting the cost of tuition and fees from the amount of Pell Grant awarded for that term as of the date the request is being reviewed. If the cost of tuition and fees is more than the Pell Grant award, an early disbursal will not be granted.
• The early disbursement will also be limited to the book component of the student's cost of attendance as determined by Gateway's Financial Aid Office.
• If this early disbursement is granted, the student will not have any funds available through Follett Bookstore for that term. If a student already purchased books using their financial aid at Follett, they are no longer eligible for the early disbursement.
• A student may request the early disbursement on a per-term basis by contacting a Student Finance Specialist and asking for an Early Pell Disbursement form.  The form must be completed and returned to a Student Finance Specialist at Gateway by the first day of the term that the disbursement is being requested. 
• Students must sign up for GradReady and complete at least one GradReady lesson if they have not already done so. This must be completed by the time the Early Pell Disbursement form is submitted. If a module is not completed on the day the Early Pell Disbursement form is reviewed, it will be automatically rejected.