Pell Federal Grants
The U.S. Department of Education awards higher education grants to low income college students through its Federal Pell Grant Program. The Department awards the Pell grant predominately to undergraduate students. Unlike student loans, you do not have to pay back a federal Pell grant upon graduation or otherwise leaving school.
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Eligibility
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Undergraduate students who do not already possess a bachelor's degree and demonstrate financial need are eligible to receive a Pell grant. Graduate students working toward their teaching certification may be eligible for a Pell grant only if the certification is necessary for them to work as a teacher and as long as the certification program does result in a graduate degree. Students in state prisons are not eligible for Pell grants. Students in local prisons, jails, halfway houses or those serving in-house detention are eligible to receive Pell grants.
Citizenship Requirements
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Students must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident alien or a conditional permanent citizen to be eligible for a Pell grant. Students who are Cuba-Haitian immigrants are also eligible as long as they have a form I-94 or an Arrival and Departure record from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services or INS. Students who are parolees, refugees or have been granted asylum by the U.S. must have proof of their respective status to be eligible to receive a Pell grant.
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Financial Need
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The Department of Education uses one standard formula to determine financial need. The Department determines need by assessing the student's expected family contribution or EFC. When calculating the EFC for dependent students, the Department takes the student's income, parent's income, parent's assets, household size and the number of family members currently enrolled in college, into consideration. When calculating the EFC for independent students, the Department takes only the student's income and assets, the student's household size and number of family members currently enrolled in college, into consideration.
Maximum Amounts
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The maximum Pell grant amount is currently $5,550. Whether a student receives the full award amount depends on the student's EFC, the education costs of the specific school the student plans to attend and whether the student plans to attend school full or part time. Students under 24 years old and enrolled in school at least part time, whose parent or guardian died while serving in the military in Afghanistan or Iraq after September 11, 2001, receive the full maximum Pell grant amount.
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