How Can I Qualify for Pell Grants?
Federal Pell Grants allow students with low personal or family incomes to receive funding for college tuition. Take the first step to find out about qualifying for a Pell Grant by filling out and submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Pell Grant eligibility is determined by a financial formula set in federal legislation.
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Basic Eligibility
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Only students receiving a high school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED) may qualify for Pell Grants. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or hold permanent legal resident status, with valid numbers for Social Security. Students must enroll in a degree-granting course of study. Males must register with the Selective Service. Individuals cannot have previously received a bachelor's degree and qualify for a Pell Grant, with the exception of those participating in the federal Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant program. Once receiving a Pell Grant, the student must make satisfactory academic progress for federal student aid programs, which entails a minimum C average or whatever standards the particular school uses to allow a student to keep on track for graduation.
FAFSA
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Information required on the FAFSA includes the family's and student's income and assets. This financial information determines the expected family contribution (EFC), under the legal formula that determines what families should contribute to a child's post-secondary education. EFC scores also take into account the number of people in the household and how many children are currently attending post-secondary institutions. EFCs below a certain score determine eligibility for federal Pell Grants if basic qualifications are met.
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Independent Students
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Students may qualify as independents, qualifying on their own and not in terms of family income and assets, under certain circumstances. Students must be at least 24, although younger students may qualify if married. Those on active duty in the U.S. armed forces or U.S. military veterans qualify as independents regardless of age. Other exceptions to the minimum age limit include those with children who are dependent on the applicant's income, those placed in foster care or considered a ward of the court after age 13 due to parental death, or those whom a school district determined are unaccompanied and homeless youths.
Award Amounts
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Pell Grant awards depend on several factors besides EFC, including tuition costs at the particular institution of higher learning, full or part-time enrollment status and attendance for an entire academic year. For the 2011 to 2012 academic year, the maximum Pell Grant award was $5,550.
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