The Pell Grant is government financial aid to help potential students attend school to receive an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree. It can be combined with various other types of student aid. After 2008, the Pell Grant can only be used for 18 semesters of schooling.
The Pell Grant is usually awarded to undergraduate students who have no bachelor's or professional degree, and who come from a low-income family. Whether a family or a student qualifies for the grant is based on information entered into the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form.
The maximum Pell Grant amount for the 2010-2011 year is $5,500. The amount that any individual will get, however, varies according to income, circumstances and school enrollment. The amount awarded to an individual is based on the Expected Family Contribution, which comes from information entered on the FAFSA form. If you are eligible for the Pell Grant, and had a parent or guardian that died either as a result of the September 11th attacks or while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, you will automatically receive the full grant amount each semester.