Pell grant applications are a straightforward exercise if you know what you are doing and are properly prepared. You are going to need a few documents to accompany your application such as:
- Social Security Number
- W-2 Forms
- Recorded evidence of any earnings
- Your income tax return and your partners if you’re married
- Your IRS 1040, 1040A, 1040 EZ and any other return that applies like an overseas statement.
- If you are a dependant, your parents F.I.T.R. (Federal Income Tax Return)
- Your bank statements and proof of any assets including shares and investments
- Proof of any income that has not or will not get taxed
- Evidence of U.S. Citizenship
If you are unable to provide any of these, you may not be awarded a grant so it’s important you are organized. If you can’t provide any of these documents for any reason then you can speak to a financial aid advisor from the school you want to attend. No doubt they will have come across this situation before and they will recommend your next course of action.
The actual application process takes some time and covers a few different areas so it helps if you already know what information you need. The areas of importance are all to do with:
- Your personal living arrangement
- Your income
- Your parents income
- The institution you are applying for funding to attend.
- What the Cost of Attendance is (COA)
These all seem pretty straight forward but you may be asked many other questions for which you will need answers for like your parents birth state and whether they attended college. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can provide you with worksheets to help you gather the information you require before applying.
The Federal Pell Grant Application Process
When you are confident that you have all the information that you require then you can apply for a pell grant online but first you will have to apply for a PIN. This will allow you to digitally sign legally binding documents as well as give you access to your Federal Student Aid Documentation. The process can take up to three days to complete as your social security details have to be verified.
When you have your PIN you can then fill in your application online using the worksheets you have completed from FAFSA. The details you enter should be accurate otherwise you risk having to pay back some of the grant awarded if you are successful. The average time taken on a form is around one hour and fifteen minutes. This is of course if you have done all your preparation properly and have all your documentation to hand. The good thing is you don’t have to complete the application in one sitting. Your online application is stored for up to 45 days in order for you to complete it.
The deadline for your Pell grant application is usually the first day in July but can sometimes be the last day in June. Details are released by the Federal Student Aid department well in advance. Although deadlines are set, you will still have time for corrections to be made. Each state can have a different deadline so it’s worth checking out which dates apply to you.
Once your FAFSA form is submitted, you will receive a Student Aid Report or (SAR). If that doesn’t happen it’s because the school you are looking to attend will have received an Institutional Student Information Record or ISIR. These are to notify the student whether or not they have met the funding criteria for a Pell grant. They will also be told of their EFC score which directly relates to the amount of financial aid that they will be entitled to.