Relieve the Cost of College with Government Financial Aid

The majority of student college grants hail from federal and state government resources and are awarded based on a range of criteria including student status, academic requirements, economic need and the ability to pay the rising cost of college education.

Most people have the misconception that government college grants are exclusively subject to household and family income, but this is not true. Yes, they do distribute financial aid packages as need-based grants, but they also provide merit-based grants, which do not always apply solely to students from to low-income households.

You could Qualify for Government Financial Aid

If you qualify, government grants provide free money to pay for college, but how do you access this free college money? It is relatively simple although annually, thousands of potentially eligible students miss these ‘free government grant opportunities’ simply because they remain unaware of this help or seemingly decide to automatically self-qualify their un-eligibility and choose not to apply for federal aid in order to verify their assumptions.

To find out if you qualify for student grants from the federal government you must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually whilst attending a college or university education program.

Government Need Based Grant Programs

  • The Federal Pell Grant is the most common college grant and is subject to students financial need. The Pell Grant is funded directly from the federal government and is specifically designed to support financially disadvantaged student studying towards an undergraduate level degree. The amount of award given to students is determined by assessing students’ enrolment status, Expected Family Contributions and annual Cost of Attendance.
  • The Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is a grant program offered to students who have severe need for financial help. Recipients’ typically receive this grant if their Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is zero. Limited funding is available through the FSEOG program because the money assigned is not replenished throughout the course of the fiscal year, so priority is given to the most needy students on a first-come first-served basis until the funding runs out.
  • The Federal Work Study Program offers students with financial need, opportunities to earn money towards their college expenses by providing them with on-campus job opportunities that provide a capped level of earnings.
  • Students that have served time in the military may qualify for federal grants to help pay for vocational / technical training and college education from federally served education benefit programs; the 911 G.I Bill or the Montgomery G.I. Bill .

Government Merit Based Grants

The difference between need-based grants and merit-based grants is that students who receive need-based grants are awarded strictly based on financial need; whereas merit-based grants provide free college funds based on students academic performance, and sometimes combine financial need. The most common federal merit-based grants are the:

  • Academic Competitiveness Grant which provides up to $1,300 to freshman and sophomore students majoring in engineering, math, science, technology and other critical need subjects
  • The National SMART Grant provides up to $4,000 to students in junior and senior years and is a continuation from the AC Grant.

Merit-based grants are also provided by state governments, colleges and organizations as money to help pay for college education. More often than not state grants require applicants to have completed a FAFSA application, although some require separate application forms or a combination of both. In addition to our state grant resource section, you will find more information about state-based grants directly from college, university and your state government websites.

Applying for Government College Grants

To apply for government grants, students are required to file a FAFSA application before the state and federal deadlines, which dates may differ. This is a very important first step when applying for college grants because the FAFSA also applies to many alternative grant programs not awarded directly through government agencies and departments.

You will be automatically considered for all the federal grant and financial aid programs as soon as you file your FAFSA application. However, state-based grants and those from other sources may also require additional documentation in order to qualify.