You must be an undergraduate student who has not received a bachelor's degree. When you submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), you will be considered for a Pell Grant.
The amount of your Pell Grant is determined by the cost of your school, your family's financial resources, siblings and whether you are attending full-time or part-time.
You can receive Pell Grants for 18 semesters of study.
Pell Grants range from $609 to $5,350 for the 2009 school year. In 2009, over $25 billion in Pell Grants will be awarded.
The first Pell Grants were given out for the 1973 school year and totaled over $47 million. All undergraduate students were made eligible by 1976, and the program has expanded to almost $1.5 billion.