<p>Hi! I'm Loc and I just recently filed a FAFSA with my parents. When I received my SAR it had said that I am not eligible for the Federal Pell Grant. I ask a few of my friends if they were eligible for this grant or not and they told me they were eligible despite having a higher EFC than I do. I was just wondering if anyone has any information on how the government determines one's eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant because I called up the Student Financial Aid Service Support Number and they told me that it does not say why I am not eligible. If anyone has any reason or idea regarding this situation please let me know because I am a minority Asian male student who is applying for a lot of minority/Asian scholarships which require that I am eligible for this grant (specifically Gates Millennium Scholars) and it would be really depressing to find out that I cannot hand in applications for scholarships because of my ineligibility for this grant. Thanks!</p>
<p>By the way: I do not have a Bachelor's Degree for I will be a first year undergraduate attending college in the fall of 2005, I am 18 and have registered for Selective Service, I am a U.S. Citizen, and the SAR indicates that my EFC is 3970. If anyone has information on this grant or the formula for determining eligibility please let me know ASAP for scholarship deadlines are rapidly approaching.</p>
<p>I don't believe that EFC requirements for the Pell have changed for the 2005-2006 academic year. I believe that to qualify for a Pell Grant your EFC still has to be between 0 - 3850. BUT I am not 100% sure; you should verify this. I got the following information from literature we received in school during a "Financial Aid Orientation". I hope it will help you in some way:</p>
<p>"The EFC cutoff number for the 2004-2005 academic year in the index chart for Federal Pell Grant eligibility is 3850. The formula for the EFC calculation is established by law. Families can find out how this calculation works by downloading worksheets from the U.S. Department of Education's Web site at <a href="http://www.ifap.ed.gov%5B/url%5D">www.ifap.ed.gov</a>, or they may contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center at (800) 433-3243.
At present, the maximum amount a student could qualify for in a Federal Pell Grant is $4,050 for an academic year. The maximum Pell Grant award can change each year based upon Congressional funding levels. The dollar amount students receive in a Pell Grant is based not only on their EFC, but also whether they will attend full time or part time, and whether or not they attend a full academic year. It is also based on their cost of attendance, which is a yearly amount of how much it will cost to attend college. The cost of attendance includes tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, as well as transportation and personal expenses. So, for example, if a student has an EFC of 1601 and he/she plans to enroll as a full-time student, Pell Grant eligibility for that student based on the index chart and cost of attendance would be $2,400 for the academic year or $1,200 per fall and spring semesters. If you are eligible for a Pell Grant based upon your EFC number, you are guaranteed to receive it. For the 2004-2005 school year, full-time students with EFCs from zero to 3850 qualify for some Pell Grant. Those with EFCs of 3851 or greater are not eligible for a Pell Grant but could be eligible for other types of aid."</p>
<p>Loc:</p>
<p>I just double checked on the info I posted previously. I'm afraid the figures/requirements for 2005-2006 Pell qualification ARE the same as last year.</p>
<p>EFC must be between 0 - 3850, and the maximum award amount is $4,050.</p>
<p>I'm sorry the news couldn't be better. However, I'm sure you will qualify for other aid. I wish you luck!</p>
<p>Thanks happygolucky for the clarification! It just seems odd to me that I didn't qualify for the Federal Pell Grant when I asked a friend of mine who told me that he was eligible for this grant despite having an EFC of around 5000. I just figured that if I had an EFC lower than his, I would be eligible also, but I don't understand how my friend was eligible. Perhaps I will try calling that Student Federal Aid Center number again to double check about this. But thank you once again for clarifying this matter, it just stinks that I was off by a couple hundred dollars.</p>
<p>Loc</p>
<p>It sure does stink Loc, but like I said, you surely will qualify for other aid. In my opinion your friend is not being honest with you, for what ever reason. Qualification for the Pell grant is strictly based on EFC.</p>