The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has been striving for decades to ensure that higher education becomes accessible and affordable to more and more students every year. The sheer number of federal and private grants up for grabs is one such way that the USDE has attempted to make education easily accessible.

The Pell Grant is by far the best of all the grants and commissions a student could qualify for. Amongst the federal and private grants, the Pell Grant is both unique and easily accessible. What makes it different is that unlike other grants, the recipient of the Pell Grant need not repay the amount granted.

What you should know
The Pell Grant is a big deal for students. This is because it is the largest source of federally funded grants, that is awarded to students solely in response to the financial status of the recipient and/or their family. These grants tend to be reserved for students entering the undergraduate level of study. The grant is also offered to thousands of students every year. In the current academic year of 2017-2018, the highest Pell Grant sum awarded was at $5,920.

Eligibility for making a Pell Grant application
There are three general eligibility criteria that one must fulfill, and they are as follows:

• One must be an undergrad student enrolled in a study program; either full time or part time. Preference is given to full time students. However, universities cannot deny a grant to those who are enrolled for lesser than half time.
• The applicant must also be eligible for federal aid programs in general. Since all kinds of federal aid is assigned through the FAFSA, it is mandatory for every student to fill out this form. Eligibility for the federal aid programs requires you to be a US citizen, or an eligible non-citizen, be enrolled/accepted in a program, and a few other checks.
• This is less important, but if the applicant is enrolled in a post baccalaureate certification program, he/she is also eligible for the Pell Grant.

Receiving the Pell Grant
The Pell Grant application process is fairly easy. Once the FAFSA is submitted and assessed, the school sends a letter to the applicants who qualify for financial aid. The letter contains the overall cost of attending the school/course selected by the applicant and how much of that cost is covered by financial aid, especially the Pell Grant.

The Pell Grant or any federal aid is only eligible for one year. This means that if your course is four years long, you must make a fresh Pell Grant application every year for all four years.