To provide eligible undergraduate postsecondary students
who have demonstrated financial need with grant assistance to help meet
educational expenses.
TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:
Direct Payments for Specified Use. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
The student must be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen who has been
accepted for enrollment in, and is making satisfactory academic progress at,
an eligible institution of higher education. Eligible schools may be public or
private nonprofit institutions of higher education, (such as colleges,
universities, vocational-technical schools, hospital schools of nursing), and
for- profit institutions (proprietary). Eligible males who are at least 18
years or older and born after December 31, 1959, can receive aid only if they
have registered with the Selective Service. Graduate students and students who
have already earned a bachelor's degree are not eligible for assistance.
Applicants must demonstrate need according to Part F of the Higher Education
Act of 1965, as amended.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant Eligibility: Undergraduate students
enrolled as regular students in an eligible program at an eligible institution
of higher education and making satisfactory academic progress. The applicants
must be U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens and have a high school diploma,
a GED, or demonstrate the ability to benefit from the program offered.
Beneficiary Eligibility: Undergraduate students
that are U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens and meet financial need
criteria. Students must be: regular students in an eligible program and
enrolled in institutions of higher education, making satisfactory academic
progress. Incarcerated students, except those incarcerated in local penal
facilities, are ineligible. Students must sign a statement of educational
purpose, not owe a refund on a Title IV grant, and not be in default on a
Title IV loan. Eligible males that are at least 18 years old and born after
December 31, 1959, can receive aid only if they have registered with the
Selective Service.
Credentials/Documentation: This program is
excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.
Pre-application Coordination: This program is
excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372. This program is excluded from
coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102.
Application Procedure: Student completes a
"Free Application for Federal Student Aid" and submits it to the
agency specified on the form. Students may apply using a paper application, an
electronic application, or via the Internet. The U.S. Department of Education
calculates the student's financial eligibility for assistance and the agency
to which the student sent the application returns a notification to the
student of his or her eligibility for assistance. The student submits this
notification to the institution of his or her choice in order to have his or
her award calculated. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB
Circular No. A-110.
Award Procedure: Institutions act as disbursing
agents for the Department of Education. The institution that the student
attends calculates and disburses the Federal Pell Grant, using a payment
schedule developed by the Department of Education that determines the amount
of the award based on the student's expected family contribution, cost of
attendance, and enrollment status.
Deadlines: Contact the program office for
deadlines.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time: Approximately
2 to 4 weeks.
Appeals: An institution, on the basis of
supplemental documentation, may rule that an applicant is self-supporting,
even though under the standard criteria, the applicant would normally be
considered financially dependent on his or her parents. An institution may
adjust on a case-by-case basis a student's data elements used to calculate his
or her EFC and cost of attendance due to unusual circumstances documented by
the institution.
Renewals: Students who have applied in the
previous award year may be eligible to complete a paper or electronic renewal
application which contains preprinted student data and requires students only
to update certain information. However, eligibility is still annually
determined.
ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula and Matching Requirements: The 2001-2002
Federal Pell Grant eligibility determinations are based on Part F of the HEA,
as amended. This national need analysis formula determines financial
eligibility for Federal Pell grants and other Federal student aid and is
applied uniformly to all applicants. This national need analysis formula
determines a student's "expected family contribution" (EFC). The
fundamental elements of this need analysis formula are the parents' and/or the
student's income and assets (excluding home), the family's household size, and
the number of family members attending postsecondary institutions. The EFC is
determined as the sum of: (1) A percentage assessment of net income (remaining
income after subtracting allowances for basic living expenses) and (2) a
percentage assessment of net assets, other than a home, (remaining assets
after subtracting an asset protection allowance).
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance: Students
are currently limited to one Federal Pell Grant during any award year (July 1
through June 30). There is no funding for students to receive a second Federal
Pell Grant during a single award year. Funds for one Federal Pell Grant are
usually disbursed at least twice during an award year. Students may only
receive a Federal Pell Grant until they have received a bachelor's degree.
POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports: Institutions will be required to furnish
reports, periodically, on the disbursement of funds, as well as to furnish any
other reports the Secretary requires. No reports are required of students.
Audits: Annual audits will be made.
Records: All records pertaining to the
eligibility of each Federal Pell Grant recipient and all fiscal management
records must be maintained by the institutions for a period of 3 years or
until an acceptable audit has been completed, whichever is later. Selected
students will have the information on their applications verified.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Account Identification: 91-0200-0-1-502.
Obligations: (Grants) FY 01 $7,639,717,000; FY 02
est $8,756,000,000; and FY 03 est $9,756,000,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance: Grants
ranged from $400 to $3,300 in fiscal year 2001. Average award: $2,057 in
fiscal year 2001.
Approximately 3,853,000 students received Federal Pell grants during fiscal
year 2001.
REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
The Federal Pell Grant Expected Family Contribution formula is set forth in
Part F of the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended. Regulations governing
administration of the Pell Grant Program are found in 34 CFR 600, 668, and
690. The Student Guide; Free Application for Federal Student Aid (no charge);
"The Expected Family Contribution Formula"; "The Student
Financial Aid Handbook."
INFORMATION CONTACTS:
Regional or Local Office: Federal Student Aid
Information Center. Telephone: 1-800-433-3243. Regional Director, Office of
Student Financial Assistance, the Director of Student Financial Aid at the
institution the student wishes to attend, high school guidance counselors, or
directors of State agencies.
Headquarters Office: Division of Policy
Development, Office of Student Financial Assistance, Department of Education,
400 Maryland Avenue, SW., ROB-3, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (800)
433-3243.
Web Site Address: http://www.ifap.ed.gov
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
Not applicable.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
The Expected Family Contribution formula is set forth in
Part F of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.
