Federal Pell Grant Application Form (FAFSA Application)

The old (frustrating) search tool for school names (high schools and colleges) has been updated so that abbreviations, misspelled words and punctuation won't prevent you from finding the right name.

With one click, you can transfer your federal income tax information, and you will be told in the Pell grant application if you qualify for this tool.

The reasoning behind these changes is to make it easier for Pell qualified students to finish the application.

Even though printable FAFSA application forms are available, you should be prepared to apply for a Pell grant online. Results will be given to you and the school much more quickly, and there is less chance for error with the online application.

Federal Pell grant amounts for the 2012-2013 term should be exactly the same as they were for the 2011-2012 school year, provided that Congress acts to make up the projected shortfall in the program.

There are certain situations that guarantee students an automatic EFC of "0". This will enable you to get the maximum award for your enrollment status. (See Pell grant calculator.)
An automatic "0" EFC for a dependent student is given if:

• someone in the household has received benefits (within the past 24 months) from one of these programs:
• SSI
• Food Stamps
• Free and Reduced Price School Lunch
• TANF
• WIC

• if parents were not required to file a 2011 Form 1040, or the parents are not required to file any income tax return (even if they actually did so to get their education tax credit)

• a parent is a dislocated worker

and

• the 2011 income of the student’s parents is under $23,000 (This is new for 2012-2013- used to be $32,000.)

An automatic "0" EFC for an independent student with dependents (other than a spouse) is given if the same criteria as above is true, substituting the student and/or spouse for "parents".

An independent student without dependents (other than a spouse) does not qualify for an automatic "0" EFC.

These are free grant applications; no matter what your income is, it can't hurt to fill out the Pell grant form and this form is required for most state and college financial aid as well. In fact, many state grant programs allow even higher income than the federal government does.

Federal Pell grant eligibility can even give you up to double your yearly award, if you enroll in a summer session. *Note: This program has been canceled.*

The Pell grant application will now automatically qualify you for federal student loans whether or not you intend to use them. The decision to take advantage of your loan eligibility or not will have no effect on your Pell grant eligibility.

Your award amount will be determined by your financial qualifications only.

A Pell grant is what you might call a 'financial aid base'. It is your first layer of aid and many state and college programs will not even consider you for their financial aid until you have completed your Pell grant application (or FAFSA). And while refusing to take federal loans will not jeopardize your Pell award, it could disqualify you from getting any state college loans (for the states that have them).

The federal deadline for filling out a FAFSA is always June 30 of the school year you are applying for. For the 2012-2013 year it is June 30, 2013. Apply early, because your state FAFSA deadline is almost certainly earlier and state aid programs do run out of money.

In order to receive your award, your college must have your Pell grant application (correct and complete) by the last day of enrollment for that school year.

If you have any questions about filling out the application form, the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) can be reached at:

1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) - toll free, or 1-800-730-8913 (TTY) - toll free for the hearing impaired.

If you want to fill out a paper application, you can call these numbers to have them mail you one. If you choose to do this, apart from the delay, you risk making simple mistakes that the online form would prompt you about. For instance, leaving something blank (don't) or not rounding to the nearest dollar or using a blue pen instead of a black one...

Learn more about the FAFSA.