The Pell Grant eligibility requirements are fairly straight forward. A Pell Grant is money given to you to go to college from the federal government. You do not have to pa back a grant, but you must follow its requirements to keep receiving the grant.

To receive your grant, you must have financial need. This means your income or your family’s income meet the guidelines for eligibility. To determine where you stand, you need to fill out the official Pell Grant application online. This form, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, will also tell your what other aid you might qualify for. To fill out the FASFA, you will need to have your financial standing and your completed tax returns if any for the year you are filing for. Most Pell Grants go to families with an income of 30,000 dollars or less, but this varies each year. Your income is determined mostly by the Adjusted Gross Income line on your United States tax form.

The Pell Grant eligibility requirements demand that you be a college undergraduate and have completed high school, have a GED or completed home school. Another option is to pass an ability to benefit test which can be given at most colleges if you don’t have the above. A last option is to have completed six hours of accredited course work an approved college.

You must be an American citizen, permanent resident or eligible non-citizen. You can check the non-citizen requirements at the Pell Grant website. You must be majoring in a degree at a college approved by the Pell program. You must show you have made satisfactory progress at your former schools. You must register for the Selective Service if you are a male between 18 and 25 years old. You may not be eligible if you have been convicted of certain crimes. Some convictions are allowed depending on what you were convicted of and your age.

To fill out your FAFSA, you need to go to www.fasfa.ed.gov. The site will explain what you need to do to apply. You will need internet access to do this. If you don’t have an internet connection, most libraries and some K-Marts have free connections you can use. You should not pay someone to fill out these forms. All of these online sites provide free help for users. Also, your college counseling office can provide help and sometimes free internet access as well.