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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

All You Need To Know About Pell Grant Requirements

By Gale Bedden


In an increasingly competitive world, there is no dispensing with the need for a good college education to set one on their desired career path. Coming to grips with the Pell Grant requirements that can qualify or disqualify one from attaining the funding they deserve to achieve their educational goals is an important consideration. This takes on added significance since a vast majority of families with college going children cannot afford to meet the high tuition fee costs charged. It is also a fact that similar federal and statewide programs use the rating used to dispense their own grants too.

The guideline published by the Department of Education of United States detail the general requirements that one has to fulfill in order to be considered eligible for the aid. The guidelines are based to a large extent on the 1965 piece of legislation known as the Higher Education Act (HEA). The Act was passed with recognition that many low and middle income families could not afford to take their children through college and therefore needed to have access to federal funding.

The first step in the application process is completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form. After filing the all-important details on the online form, the authorities will determine the applicant's EFC or Expected Family Contribution in full. Many students mistakenly believe that the EFC denotes the amount that the family must provide. In actual fact, it only serves to set a benchmark for what each applicant can receive.

A student making an application will need to certify their status. Part-time students are not eligible in all circumstances for an award but full time learners can get grants of even upward of four thousand dollars annually. Pell Grant aid is almost exclusively used to fund undergraduate students undergoing training in recognized institutions. However, in certain cases students enrolled in some post baccalaureate certificate programs like teacher education can apply and be awarded aid.

Applicants need to be warned that their applications will be rejected if they have previously been convicted on a federal or state-wide drug charge, whether it was for possession or selling. This form of ban is only applicable if the conviction happened during the period of time when they were enrolled for the program that they are seeking financial assistance in pursuing. There are exceptions where an appeal can successfully be made if the candidate passes two unannounced drug tests that are carried in accordance to guidelines and procedure sanctioned by the Department of Education.

Applicants with intellectual disabilities fall under a special group and they will receive preferential aid if they meet certain requirements. They have to be enrolled or eligible for enrollment in a Comprehensive Transition and Post-secondary Program (CTP) for learners who have learning disabilities. As a matter of course they will be required to fulfill the rest of the grant's eligibility criteria.

Further requirement details include the need to be certified as being under no default in a federal loan repayments awarded previously. Applicants will also need to show they do not owe the government any money in another grant program. It is also necessary to make a commitment to put the money given to educational purposes only.

Attaining college learning is important in ensuring success in life of a person. It can be a cruel blow to be barred from attaining to one's lifetime dreams just because they could not raise the funds necessary. It is with this in mind that attaining the Pell Grant requirements stated here can prove crucial in securing the necessary financial assistance.




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