Eligibility Requirements for Pell Grants

The Pell Grant program provides need-based higher education grants to eligible students. This article provides an overview of the eligibility requirements.

Function

The Pell Grant is a federal program that provides grants for college expenses to students with demonstrated financial need. Unlike federal student loans, Pell Grants do not have to be repaid.

Eligibility

Students with a family income up to $50,000 are eligible for Pell Grants. In addition, eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residency, and enrollment in a certificate or degree program at a college or university that participates in the Pell Grant program. Pell Grant recipients must demonstrate satisfactory academic progress to remain eligible for the grants.

Features

Students must be undergraduates to receive Pell Grants. In some cases, however, students completing a professional degree may be eligible for these grants.

Warning

Pell Grant recipients must not be convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs.

Fun Fact

The Pell Grant program is named for its sponsor, the late U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island.

Resources

• The U.S. Department of Education's Student Aid site