Can I still be eligible for a Pell Grant?

Paying for College
1

<p>According to the FAFSA, I'll be able to get a Pell Grant of about $3500. But for schools who use the CSS Profile along with the FAFSA, (hence calculating EFC differently), will I still be eligible for a Pell Grant, if my expected family contribution (thanks home equity) is about 5000? </p>

<p>Isn't Pell Grant eligibility just determined by the government and not individual schools? </p>

<p>Please inform me. Thanks! :)</p>

2

<p>Yes, the Pell Grant follows the Federal Methodology only. CSS schools will use that method for Federal aid, and also for state aid if you're residence-eligible for that. They'll use CSS for other aid, basically their own grants.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the reply.</p>

<p>OK, correct me if I'm wrong, but receiving a Pell Grant will reduce the amount of institutional aid offered by a school? (Obviously, each school is different, but is this generally the case?)</p>

4

<br>


<br>

<p>I'm not a finaid officer and perhaps one of the folks who posts here will give a more definitive answer. My understanding is that most schools want to know what federal aid the student is eligible for first. This then reduces the amount of the school's money that is given to meet need (using the institutional formula). This ties in, also, with why many schools require that the finaid forms be completed even for solely merit aid. If a student qualifies for federal grants, the school can give that federal grant first. Simply put, schools disperse federal monies (from what I understand) and then their own. It makes sense to me.</p>