Pell Grants - Help with Financing Your Education
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The institution can opt to directly pay the money for the grant to the student, directly apply the Pell Grant to the school costs for the academic year or find a combination of the two. The institution is required to tell you the student in writing how much money they have been awarded by the Federal Pell Grant Program and how and when the student is going to be paid this money.

To be eligible for the Federal Pell Grant Program the student is required to be a United States citizen or an eligible non-citizen (this means those with a Alien Registration Card or those with a Arrival Departure Record with specific designations). The student must also be accepted for enrollment into an eligible institution of higher education.

The Federal Pell Grant Program is not accessible for graduate students, save for one exception - those that are enrolled in eligible program leading to a professional certification in teaching may be eligible.

The total grants were $13,660,771,000 in 2007; approximately $16,256,000,000 in 2008; and approximately $18,941,059,000 in 2009. Depending on the need of the student and how much they are assigned, the grant received through the program can range between $400 and $4,731; on average, a student can expect around $2,945.

Approximately 5,600,000 recipients are expected for the program. Starting in the 2011-2012 school year congress has voted to lower the number of Pell Grants that are to be distributed and this would lead to many students who currently receive lower Pell Grants to become ineligible. This is not a certainty however because of the fact that the Senate did not yet vote on these budgetary cuts.



Pell Grants - Help with Financing Your Education
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About The Author You can find more information on government grants, government spending and other federal programs at Top Government Grants. We also provide additional resources on grants for education from major foundations and the federal government on the Top Education Grants Website. Michael Saunders has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business

Additional Resources

category - Education Grants

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Financial Aid for Students - The Role of the Federal Student Aid Office
The Federal Student Aid Office makes sure that eligible students get to benefit from financial assistance to complete an education beyond high school. The Office plays a vital role in the entire financial aid process and has an active role in ensuring that students have access to all the information they need when requesting federal assistance to attend college.

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