How a Pell Grant amount is set
The pieces the aid office uses to work out a Pell Grant, from the Student Aid Index to the credits you carry.
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Federal grants
The grants the federal government pays through your college: how the Pell Grant is worked out, what happens when you study part time or in summer, and the federal grants that come with conditions.
Who holds the money: Your college's financial aid office, using your FAFSA
10 articles on federal grants
Pell Grants when you study part time
How the federal grant scales down, rather than stopping, when you take fewer credits than a full load.
The Pell lifetime limit and how it is counted
The federal cap on Pell across all your years in college, and where to see how much of it you have used.
Pell money for a summer term
How year-round Pell can pay for a third term in the same award year, and what the aid office needs from you first.
FSEOG and why applying early matters
A federal grant your college hands out from a fixed yearly sum, which is why the date you file can decide whether any is left.
The TEACH Grant and its service agreement
A federal grant for future teachers that comes with a teaching agreement, and what happens if the years of service are not completed.
Workforce Pell for short job training programs
A new form of Pell, starting in 2026-27, that can pay for approved job training lasting weeks rather than years.
Pell Grants in prison education programs
How incarcerated students can use Pell Grants again in approved programs, and the steps a college and facility take first.
What the Student Aid Index means for your grants
What the number on your FAFSA Submission Summary does inside each federal grant, and how to ask for a second look.
The FAFSA dates behind federal grants
The federal calendar that governs Pell, FSEOG and TEACH, and the earlier dates set by states and colleges.
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