Students must choose a school, college or university in Florida. Schools participating in the Pell Grant program include the Beauty Academy in Fort Pierce, the Community College in Hillsborough and all campuses of the University of Florida. If a school has a six-digit federal code, you can use a Pell Grant there. Grants may be used at technical schools, community colleges, universities and many program-specific schools, such as truck driver training schools and flight schools.
Pell Grant recipients must be citizens of the United States, a United States national or have a permanent resident card. They can be eligible as a refugee if they have an Arrival-Departure Record from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service showing they meet government requirements.
Recipients do not have to be residents of Florida to receive a Pell Grant for a Florida school, although the money will go further if they are because of out-of-state tuition fees.
Students applying for a Pell Grant must also have a high school diploma, GED or show proof of a home-school education.
Male students between the ages of 18 and 25 must register with Selective Service.
A student must maintain a grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale in a degree program and the amount of credits she takes in a semester will affect the total amount of money she is eligible for each year.
The government uses enrollment status to determine the amount of the Pell Grant award. If a student is attending school full-time, she is eligible for the full award, which, in 2009, was $5,350.
The award amount is lower if the student enrolls on a less than full-time basis and by the amount the government expects the student and her family to contribute.
According to the United States Department of Education, the average award in 2009 was $3,611 for first-time recipients.