How to Apply for a Pell Grant

What are the various Pell Grant qualifications? This is perhaps one of the most common questions students have when they become interested in applying for a Pell Grant. Although there is a great amount of ambivalence around the campfire about such qualifications, in reality the Pell Grant qualifications are not that difficult to gain an understanding of, and are actually fairly exact and clear-cut. Some financial aid people refer to these as the Pell Grant requirements, or Pell Grant eligibility requirements, and if you get confused by this you shouldn’t because they are all essentially the same thing.

The important thing you must keep in mind is that to become eligible for the Pell Grant there are essentially two classes of qualifications you must pay attention to. The first class has to do with your ability to show that you can demonstrate the appropriate financial need for the grant. The Pell Grant is a federal grant that is awarded every year to students that come from lower-income families, and you must be able to exhibit the appropriate indicators when it comes to financial need if you want to qualify for the grant. This is determined mainly by way of your EFC, and if your EFC is below 4,617 then you will pass the first test of demonstrating the appropriate financial need to qualify for the grant.

The next class of qualifications are the yes-or-no qualifiers that you must satisfy in order to qualify for the Pell Grant. There are quite a few of these, and the subject matter of each ranges quite a bit. It is important to pay close attention to each of these though, as failing even one of these can put your out of the running for the Pell Grant. The most up-to-date listing of qualifiers is as follows:

*You must possess a valid social security number
*If you are a male, you must be registered with the Selective Service
*You must either be a U.S. citizen, eligible non-citizen, or U.S. national
*You may not qualify if you have been put in jail in the past
*If you have a drug-related offense on your record you may not qualify
*You will not qualify if you have an outstanding Pell overpayment
*You must not have defaulted on any kind of federal student aid in the past
*You must be enrolled at an accredited, and participating college or university
*You must be enrolled in a degree-oriented program, and be making satisfactory academic progress
*Most graduate programs don’t qualify, although certain professional programs do
*You must have a high school diploma, GED, or pass an “ability to benefit” test
*You won’t qualify if you have already received a full scholarship (100% scholarship or presidential award)

Upon satisfaction of each of these Pell Grant qualifications you should then become eligible if your EFC is below the appropriate threshold. Once you are eligible the actual award amount you receive will then be up to your school, and a variety of other factors including EFC, cost of attendance, and enrollment status. Make sure your learn how to apply for a Pell Grant the right way and fill out your FAFSA on-time and in a complete fashion, as this should will almost guarantee your eligibility for the Pell Grant if you meet the above requirements.