Sunday 20 May 2012

How To Fulfill Pell Grant Requirements

By Gale Bedden


Making it big in one's chosen career path is mainly dependent on attaining a college degree. This can however be nothing more than a distant dream if one doesn't meet the basic criteria set for Pell Grant requirements. This is so because many families cannot afford to meet the hefty tuition costs without some form of assistance. The program rating system is also replicated across many state and federal programs.

The Department of Education publishes a comprehensive set of guidelines detailing how one can prove as eligible for consideration. The guide is crafted in line with specifications set in the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965. This was a landmark piece of legislation as it detailed a standard procedure for giving a helping hand for disadvantaged learners who would otherwise been unable to afford a college education.

The application procedure starts with completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid) form available at the department's website. Once the details have been duly filled and submitted, the application is subjected to a procedure set down in law to test for eligibility. A key determinant in this process is the value indicated by the applicant as the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). This needs not be taken to literally mean that this will be the amount the applicant's family will be required to pay. Its importance is to serve as a standard benchmark over which each application will be deemed as deserving.

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.

If the applicant has had a conviction under federal or state law for possession or sale of drugs, they will be automatically disqualified if the offense happened during the period of enrollment in which the student is applying for aid. However, there is still possibility to qualify if the applicant passes two unannounced drug tests carried out in accordance with a specified criterion. Such a student will have to complete a "Student Aid Eligibility Worksheet" to determine how the law applies in their case.

Those applicants who are adjudged as having learning disabilities occupy a special class and additional funding is possible if they pass a set criterion. To begin with, they need certified enrollment in an institution with a Comprehensive Transition and Post-secondary Program (CTP) designation for learners with disabilities. They will naturally be required to fulfill the rest of the Grant's criteria for eligibility.

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.

The craving for college education is considered a good attainment in the life of a person. To realize the dream however, one can be severely hindered by hefty tuition fee charges. This is the reason why meeting the basic Pell Grant requirements is a priority for many aspiring college students.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment