To determine your eligibility for the Pell Grant program you
must first complete a Free Application for Federal Aid (FAFSA)
form. If you have not yet completed your FAFSA application,
go to the website (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov), and complete your
FAFSA using the instructions provided in the “Fill out
a FAFSA” section. When you complete your first FAFSA application,
you will answer questions to determine your eligibility for
the Pell Grant among other government grants and funding. After
you save and submit your initial FAFSA application, you will
be notified by email or regular postal delivery if and when
you receive Pell Grant funding.
Students with a total family income up to $50,000 may be eligible
for Pell Grants, though most Pell funding goes to students with
a total family income below $20,000.
Other eligibility requirements include the following: You must
be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or an eligible non-citizen,
i.e., U.S. permanent resident with an Alien Registration Card
I-551, a conditional permanent resident with an I-551C card,
possess Arrival Departure Record I-94 from the Immigration and
Naturalization Service one of the following designations: asylum
granted, parole, refugee, entrant from Cuba or Haiti. You may
also be eligible if you live independent of your parent or guardian,
and/or if you have your own dependents.
To receive a Pell Grant, you must be an undergraduate student,
and in some cases, a student completing your first professional
degree, e.g., pharmacy or dentistry.
You must be enrolled in a program that will lead to a certificate,
diploma, or degree at any institution eligible to participate
in the Pell Grant Program, and maintain satisfactory academic
progress as defined by the grant program. You must also sign
a statement indicating that you are not in default on a federal
loan, and that the financial aid will be used only for educational
purposes. Finally, you must not have been convicted for the
possession or sale of illegal drugs while receiving federal
financial aid.