Federal Pell Grant

What is a Federal Pell Grant? A Federal Pell Grant is a direct money award from the United States government given to college students through participating educational institutions. In order to qualify for a Federal Pell Grant, students must demonstrate financial need and must not have already received their first bachelor's degree. Students who are enrolled in certain post baccalaureate programs leading to teacher certification or licensure may also qualify for a Federal Pell Grant.

The purpose of the Federal Pell Grant program is to promote access to postsecondary education for low-income American citizens. With an estimated budget in 2012 of $35 billion, this program is included in the spending cut proposals of both Democrats and Republicans looking to reduce the deficit. This is unfortunate, as nearly ten million hard-working, low-income students rely on this assistance to start a career instead of working minimum wage jobs. Pell Grants are a real and positive investment in America's future and are paid back in full when these students start paying taxes from their high paying jobs later in life.

Before applying for Federal Pell Grant money, a student should verify the school they want to attend is a participant in the Federal Pell Grant program. College students may not receive Pell Grants from more than one school at a time.

The amount a Federal Pell Grant awards to an individual student is dependent on the student's financial need and is determined by a formula used by the U.S. Department of Education. The formula includes factors such as the student's expected family contribution, the cost of attendance at the school, whether the student is full-time or part-time, and whether the student attends for the entire academic year or less than a year. The only exception is that sons and daughters of military personnel that died after 9/11/01 are awarded the maximum amount if eligible.

Pell Grant Facts & Figures



Fiscal Year Federal Funding Grant Money Available # of Expected Awards Average Award Award Range 2010 Pell Grants $21.8 billion $32.3 billion 8,355,000 $3,865 $555 to $5,550 2009 Pell Grants $36.5 billion1 $25.3 billion 7,022,000 $3,611 $486 to $5,350 2008 Pell Grants $16.3 billion $16.4 billion 5,578,000 $2,945 $400 to $4,731 2007 Pell Grants $13.7 billion $14.0 billion 5,339,000 $2,620 $400 to $4,310



1. Includes the $17.1 billion from the Note: All figures are approximate and apply to new Pell Grants, not including recurring awards that began in previous years.1. Includes the $17.1 billion from the Recovery Act (commonly known as the Obama Stimulus Package).

Pell Grant Schools



School Name Location School Type Pell Grant Money # of Grants University of Phoenix Arizona For-Profit $1,117,230,538.36 275416 Ashford University Iowa For-Profit $278,103,712.21 76257 Devry University Illinois For-Profit $264,812,025.00 69692 Kaplan University Iowa For-Profit $219,645,322.50 54799 Baker College Michigan Private $107,807,910.00 34953 Colorado Technical University Colorado For-Profit $103,082,485.54 32548 Strayer University Washington D.C. For-Profit $100,367,036.96 34343 American Intercontinental University Illinois For-Profit $97,635,871.77 26037 Miami Dade College Florida Public $97,376,180.00 25226 Arizona State University Arizona Public $92,772,056.00 23340 Houston Community College Texas Public $88,280,352.00 28468 Virginia College Alabama For-Profit $85,717,662.92 21867 Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania Public $84,382,179.00 23178 Broward College Florida Public $83,307,816.35 25795 Liberty University Virginia Private $81,286,105.80 22509 Grand Canyon University Arizona For-Profit $78,872,908.25 20795 South University Georgia For-Profit $75,857,233.16 27563 Kent State University Ohio Public $73,512,045.00 18702 Instituto de Banca y Comercio Puerto Rico For-Profit $72,746,256.83 16441 Valencia Community College Florida Public $72,303,582.40 22763

Top 20 colleges by total Pell Grant money awarded during 2010-2011 school year. Source: U.S. Department of Education.

After a student files a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), the student will receive a SAR (Student Aid Report) or the school will receive an ISIR (Institutional Student Information Record). The ISIR will notify the student if he or she is eligible for a Pell Grant and will state the student's estimated family contribution toward his education, and the amount of the Pell Grant, if any.

To find out more about Federal Pell Grants visit the official U.S. Department of Education program website. For details on non-Pell college grants, visit Federal Grants for College. Feel free to browse other available educational grants in our listing of Department of Education Grants here at FederalGrants.com.

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