Federal Pell Grant Eligibility
Apply for free college grants

Pell grant eligibility sets the standards for who is allowed to apply for free federal grants for college. Before you worry about your income or calculate your cost of attendance, find out if you are eligible to apply.

In general, if you are eligible to receive any federal college financial aid, you will probably be eligible for the Pell.

There are five main criteria that the federal government uses to determine whether or not someone is eligible for federal aid:

1. citizenship
2. social security number
3. selective service requirements
4. financial history (with the federal government)
5. academic eligibility

There are also just a couple of specific policies that apply only to Pell grants. Don't automatically assume that you are not eligible (particularly if you are a nontraditional student). Read through the guidelines; most students are eligible. Anyone who meets these standards should apply for Pell grant funding. These free grant applications could lower your student loan debt, if you also meet the qualifications for income and cost of attendance.

If your grant still leaves you with a tuition gap, you would probably also qualify for a federal Perkins loan, the student loan with the soon-to-be lowest student loan rate.

Basic eligibility is established by the student demographics section of the Pell grant form.

Citizenship

Applicants must be one of these:

• U.S. citizens or nationals
• U.S. permanent residents
• Citizens of the Freely Associated States- the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republics of Palau and the Marshall Islands
• Other eligible noncitizens (These are people who are in the U.S. for non-temporary reasons and who can document that they intend to become citizens.)

Citizenship eligibility is cross-checked with the Social Security Administration (SSA) database, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) records, and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Social Security Number

Students must provide a correct social security number- one that matches their name and birth date in the Social Security Administration's database. Your federal Pell grant application will not be processed without one.

Students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau do not have to provide a SS#. If you are from one of these areas, you can still apply for a Pell grant online. The site will supply you with an ID# to enter as a social security number.

Selective Service

Males between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to register with the Selective Service System. (You can register through the federal aid application.)

Exceptions are:

• those already in the armed services and on active duty
• citizens of the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Federated States of Micronesia
• those unable to register because they are hospitalized, incarcerated, or institutionalized
• those enrolled in some specific officer procurement programs
• those who are either commissioned Public Health Service officers on active duty, or members of the Reserve of the Public Health Service on specified active duty

If you are female, make sure you indicate that on the Pell grant form, or your application could be delayed while they check Selective Service for a match.

Financial History

• You must not be in default on any federal loan, unless you can certify that you have made satisfactory arrangements for repayment.
• You must not owe an overpayment on any federal grant or loan, unless you can certify that you have made satisfactory arrangements for repayment.
• You are also ineligible if the U.S. government has placed a judgment lien on your property. (for instance, if the IRS placed a lien on your property for back taxes)

Your Pell grant application will be checked against the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) for the financial aid history, only.

Academic Eligibility

• must be enrolled as a regular student in a degree program
• may not also be enrolled in a secondary or elementary school for the aid year
• must have a high school diploma or an equivalent or state-approved homeschooling

These are the academic prerequisites for the grant; once you are approved, there are additional Pell grant requirements for maintaining eligibility.

Your Pell grant eligibility is also conditional upon resolving any drug conviction (if it occurred during a period when you had accepted federal financial aid). A conviction does not count if:

• it was reversed
• it was set aside
• it was removed from the student’s record
• the student was tried as a juvenile

This is the timetable for eligibility after being convicted of a drug offense:

The education bill currently in Congress would drop this requirement.

Federal Pell Grant Eligibility Only Rules

1. The student must be an undergraduate or enrolled in a postbaccalaureate teaching program which does not lead to a graduate degree.
2. The student may not be incarcerated in a federal or state prison.

The reason these rules are not applied to other federal financial aid is because of what a Pell grant is:

A baseline award to help equalize the playing field

So if you meet these conditions, check out the Pell grant calculator and find out what your award should be. The federal Pell grant awards schedule has recently been changed to meet new standards set by SAFRA legislation.

Also, your federal Pell grant eligibility may qualify you for an additional award (within the same school year) for summer classes. NOTE: *The two awards in one year program has been dropped.*

Additional information:

Apply for Pell grant

Pell grant qualifications

federal Perkins loan