The Pell Grant

     The Pell Grant is usually awarded to prospective or current students over the age of 25 (because at this age you are considered independent), and have a qualifying annual income.  The portion of the Pell Grant that you will receive is automatically calculated based upon your answers to the questions in the FAFSA online form.  The most important factors that determine your eligibility for this grant are:

1.  You are over the age of 25, or are otherwise considered to be "independent" (in other words, your parents/guardians do not claim you as a dependent on their tax returns).

2.  Your annual income.  Do not get discouraged if you do not initially qualify due to your annual income being too high; there are ways around this!  

     If your annual income is too high and you do not qualify, but you are either having your work hours cut or quitting work altogether in order to attend classes, you can still receive Pell Grant benefits by speaking with a financial adviser at your school and filling out a "Student Special Circumstances" (or similar) form.  This form serves the purpose of documenting the fact that, although you may have made a certain salary for the previous tax year, you will no longer have that level of income, or perhaps no income at all.  
     In order to complete this sort of form, you must provide a letter or some proof from your employer that you will no longer be working for them as of a certain date, or that you will be working much less due to your class schedule.  You will also be required to provide a copy of your last pay stub so that the adviser can calculate what you will actually make in that academic year, which will more accurately measure what you should be able to receive from the Pell Grant.  
     For me personally, I was able to go from not being able to receive any money from the grant to receiving the maximum amount simply because I filled out this form stating that I would have no income once I started classes.