Pell Grants

The Pell Grant is a federally sponsored program instituted by the United States Congress to provide monetary assistance to undergraduate and certain post-baccalaureate students who show a desire in pursuing a degree at one of over five thousand post secondary colleges, universities and technical institutions.

The Pell Grant Program, named after Senator Claiborne Pell, is based on a formula using the criteria and other information submitted by students when filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application.

A students financial need is determined by a standard formula that was determined by Congress to be uniformly fair and equitable to those who apply.

The amount of the award is based primarily on the information provided on the FAFSA and other criteria.

• The assets and the income of the student's parents and the expected contribution from the household.
• The size of the students family and the number of dependents that are enrolled in post secondary institutions.
• Whether or not the student is enrolled full time or part time.
• The cost of the enrollment as determine by the school of attendance.
• Whether the student attends school for a full academic year or not.

Pell Grants are awarded for the year of enrollment and your FAFSA must be received by the last day you are enrolled and eligible for payment. You cannot receive the grant at more than one school concurrently.

Aid in the form of Pell Grants range from approximately $400.00 to about $4,000.00, depending on the students need. The average award is around $2,500.00.

Every year, billions of dollars in Pell Grants are allocated to help fund education for students around the country. Although Pell Grants help pay for student education, it my only cover about one third of the total costs.

There are other avenues of financial help for students to go along with Pell Grants. Billions of dollars of aid in the form of public, government, military, and corporate scholarships and grants are available to students.

Programs offered by individual states, cities, counties, and other municipalities are available to needy college students.

The key to finding scholarships and grants that work for you is to look at all available resources from internet sites, library books, private and social clubs, employer opportunities, and other resources.

For additional scholarships by state, click here.

For information about grants, click here.

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