Pell Grants for Students

Completing education has become an expensive affair especially for students from low-income families, and most of them can't continue their education without financial assistance. Realizing this need the US federal government has made billions of dollars available in the form of Pell grants. Thousands of students from the economically marginalized group benefit from the Pell grants program. A grant is different from a loan because you need not repay the financial aid that you get through a grant. All federal grants are for a specific purpose and have a stringent adherence policy. The details about federal Pell grants qualifications are available on the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) website.

Many people think that applying for a grant is a complicated process and that they will not get it because there are many applicants. This is not advisable, students should apply for continuing education grants because the financial reward is well worth the effort. Some colleges even have counselors attached to their financial aid office who can educate the students about the Pell grant eligibility criteria. Information about Pell grants can also be obtained from the government grants website.

Eligibility

There is a percentage of the student population for whom it's even unthinkable to apply for a student loan and these marginalized students have no option other than applying for government grants. College Pell grants are need based. They are reserved for students from low-income families. Pell grants are awarded to students after reviewing their financial situation and if they are dependent their families financial background will be taken into consideration. You can apply for Pell grants by filling a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. Here is a list of some of the other federal Pell grant requirements and eligibility criteria :

• These grants are only for students who wish to apply for an undergraduate study program. These grants also given to students who wish to pursue baccalaureate programs in teaching certification.
• Pell grants can only be used in the participating institutes which are around 5,400.
• You need to fill the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form to be eligible for the Pell Grants.
• You are required to be enrolled in a full-time course or at least a part-time course to be eligible for these grants.
• You cannot apply for Pell grants if you are taking online courses or are planning to take a distance education degree.

Once you apply for these grants you will be notified about the grant amount you have received or the failure to do so via the Student Aid Report (SAR). The institute you have applied for can also appraise you about the status of your application as they get an Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) about the details of grant applications.

In the year 2010-2011 the maximum Pell grant awarded to a student was USD 5,500. The award amount is established on a calculation formula approved by the US congress based on the information given by the student in the FAFSA application.

The Pell grant amount also depends on the duration of the course the student has enrolled for, whether it is a part-time or full-time course. The expected family contribution also plays an integral role in deciding the grant amount. Cost of attendance decided by the institute will be another contributing factor to the Pell grant amount awarded to the applicant.

Pell grants are part of the government initiative to fund deserving students and help them with their educational needs. The financial aid office of the college will have guidance counselors who will be able to educate you about the application process and dead lines.