College Grants
A college grant is an award given from a federal company to assist you to pay for the tuition, and the great thing about it is that it does not need to be repaid. Nobody wishes to turn down their free money paying for their books and tuition!
Actually, there are two kinds of grants:
1. Direct - you turn to the federal government.
2. Pass-through - the state turns to the federal government, the federal government receives the college grant, and it is returned to the state.
About 1,000 grant programs are provided by 26 federal companies.
Pell Grants are regarded as the most distributed grants. This type of grant is awarded to undergraduates enrolled in degree programs, but sometimes it is granted to graduate students enrolled in teacher certification programs. Besides Pell Grant, you can try the following ones:
1) The Academic Competitiveness Grant is given to sophomore and freshmen undergraduates.
2) The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants are awarded to low-income undergraduates to assist them to continue onto graduate school.
3) The National SMART Grant is offered to seniors and juniors majoring in mathematics, physical, life and computer sciences, engineering, technology, or a foreign language considered necessary to national security.
These grants are provided by the Department of Education of the U.S. and have different eligibility requirements and award amounts.
The amount that you get from your Pell Grant is defined by your enrollment status (part-time or full-time ); whether you go to the college for a full term; your EFC, and the cost of the college attendance.