Grants: Free Money for College
Grants are a form of financial aid that don’t have to be repaid. They’re awarded based on financial need, academic merit, or specific qualifications. The most common grant is the Pell Grant, which is available to undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need. Other grants, like the TEACH Grant, are available to students pursuing careers in education. Unlike loans, which must be repaid with interest, grants are a gift. Unlike scholarships, which are often awarded based on academic merit or extracurricular achievements, grants are primarily based on financial need.
Pell Grant
The Pell Grant is a federal grant awarded to undergraduate students with exceptional financial need. It helps cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and other expenses. To be eligible, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year. The amount of the Pell Grant award varies depending on the student’s financial need and enrollment status. It’s important to note that Pell Grants have a lifetime limit, so it’s crucial to maximize the award each year by enrolling full-time and maintaining satisfactory academic progress.
What to Know About Pell
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at https://studentaid.gov/ to determine Pell Grant eligibility.
- Your EFC and Pell eligibility are subject to change each year. Eligibility for the Pell Grant is based on the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which is the output of FAFSA.
- In order to receive the maximum amount of your Pell eligibility, you must be enrolled full time (in at least 12 hours that counts towards their program of study).
- Pell may be available for the summer semester.
- If you receive 100% of your scheduled Pell award in both the fall and spring semesters, you may be eligible to receive additional Pell during the summer semester.
- If you’re enrolled less than full-time fall and/or spring, you may still qualify for a summer Pell Grant. The amount of the award will be based on remaining Pell Grant eligibility.
- You may receive Pell Grant for a total of 12 semesters (or its equivalent). The duration of eligibility will include all semesters in which you have previously received the Pell Grant award. More information on calculating remaining Pell Grant Eligibility.
- For purposes of determining final award amounts and disbursement amounts, Georgia Southern University uses a recalculation date for each term. This date is always the day after the initial drop/add period of the term. Pell awards and disbursement eligibility are based on your enrollment at the Pell Recalculation date.
- You must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to qualify. Satisfactory Academic Policy Criteria:
- Students should earn (not including learning support classes) 67% of all cumulative attempted hours.
- Students in a 4-year program who have attempted more than 150% of the published length of a degree program will have their aid terminated.
- Undergraduate students must maintain a 2.0 minimum total institution GPA to remain in good standing for financial aid and academic purposes.
- Students who are currently on SAP stipulations will be checked at the end of each semester.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
FSEOG is a limited-fund, need-based grant, also based on the information provided on the FAFSA. FSEOG is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis to students with exceptional financial need, in average amounts of $600 per school year. Recipients must be an undergraduate student who are Pell eligible and have not already earned a baccalaureate degree.
Public Safety Memorial Grant
The Public Safety Memorial Grant is an award for children of Georgia law enforcement officers, firemen, and prison guards who have been permanently disabled or killed in the line of duty. The grant covers the cost of attendance minus other aid, but may not exceed $18,000 per award year. Information on this grant may be received from the Georgia Student Finance Authority, 2082 East Exchange Place, Tucker, GA 30084. (800) 505-4732.
Visit the Public Safety Memorial Grant Website
TEACH Grant
The federal TEACH (Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education) Grant Program may be available to Juniors, Seniors and Graduate students who have been accepted into the College of Education and have a 3.25 GPA or better. Please view the College of Education’s TEACH Grant Application for additional information on eligible programs of study.
Complete the TEACH Grant Application
Complete the TEACH Grant Exit Counseling
NOTICE OF CHANGE TO TEACH GRANT
Subject: IMPORTANT UPDATE: TEACH Grant: Further Changes to Sequestration Required Reductions
Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants (IASG)
Funds are awarded to students whose parent or guardian was a member of the U.S. armed forces and died as a result of military service performed in Iraq or Afghanistan after the events of 9/11. To qualify, the student must be under the age of 24 or enrolled in college at least part-time at the time of the parent or guardian’s death. Students who qualify for the federal pell grant can not receive IASG. The award amount is equal to the amount of the maximum pell grant for the academic year, minus a federal sequestration-required reduction of 7.2 percent
Bud McCall Post-Secondary Vocational Rehabilitation Grant
The Bud McCall Grant is awarded to students with disabilities who are seeking post-secondary and other Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services. Undergraduate students and students with an Individualized
Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Plan may be candidates for the grant and GVRA services.
Eligibility Requirements
- Must have a permanent disability that results in a substantial impediment to employment
- Must apply for services and become a GVRA client
- Must provide an acceptance letter and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for an accredited college or university
- Must apply all comparable benefits for which the individual is eligible, including Pell grants, before applying the Bud McCall Grant to their balance
- Must submit updates to include grades, student account details, and class schedule each semester to their counselor to maintain eligibility
Bud McCall Post-Secondary Vocational Rehabilitation Grant website
Pell Recalculation
Pell recalculation is setting a date each term for which the enrollment status of the student will be locked for the term for purposes of determining Pell for the term. Georgia Southern establishes the Pell recalculation date as the day after the first drop/add period of each term.
- The enrollment status of the student is locked on the Pell recalculation date, not the specific classes.
- A student may swap courses that haven’t started yet in the term in later modules as long as the student’s enrollment status stays the same as it was on the recalculation date.
- A student who has attended a prior term and received Pell in the prior terms must be registered for the courses Pell will pay by the recalculation date of the subsequent terms.
- If a student is enrolling for the first time for the award year in the later part of a term, the student’s enrollment status for Pell is the date the student first enrolls.
- If a student has attended in prior terms but never received a Pell Grant for the award year (due to circumstances such as being selected for verification and not completing the verification until the middle of the term), if the student completes the verification and is then awarded a Pell Grant, the date the student is first awarded the Pell becomes the freeze date for the enrollment status for that student. The student would then have to be enrolled by the next terms recalculation date to receive Pell for the next term.