What Qualifies Someone to Receive a Pell Grant?

Financial Need

Because Pell Grants are intended for low-income students, a person's income and assets (and those of his or her family) are taken into consideration when grants are distributed. Family size and number of people from the household attending college are also taken into account. Award amounts are also affected by the cost of the institution the student is attending.

Pell Grant recipients must be United States citizens or eligible non-citizens. Proof will be required. An eligible non-citizen is a permanent resident with an Alien Registration Card, is a conditional permanent resident or has an Arrival Departure Record from the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

There are more than 5,400 qualified institutions in the United States that students can attend with a Pell Grant. A student who receives a Pell Grant must also be working toward an undergraduate degree and maintain good academic standing. Good academic standing is typically a "C" average, or a 2.0 average on a 4.0 scale. Pell Grants are not available to students in postgraduate degree programs but are offered to students in teacher certification programs.

Students can earn up to two Pell Grants per school year for accelerated coursework programs. Students who first earned a Pell Grant after July 1, 2008, are limited to getting awards for 18 semesters; after that time, grants will no longer be awarded to that student.

Male students must register with the selective service to be eligible for a Pell Grant. Students earning Pell Grants must also not be incarcerated. Students with federal student loans in default will not qualify for Pell Grants.