<p>My stepson is applying on fafsa for scholarships/aid.I had a question about the pell grant? Does anyone know how much income the parents have to be under for the student to get approved for a pell grant? Would it be better if he lives on his own to qualify for it instead?</p>
<p>There is no specific income cutoff, as the EFC Formula accounts for income, assets, household size, number of college students, etc. but most Pell grants go to those with incomes under $40K/year. You can work through the EFC Formula guide or do one of the quick online EFC calculators, such as the one on collegeboard.com.</p>
<p>FAFSA does not allow students under 24 to declare themselves “independent”, even if they live on their own, pay all of their own expenses, and aren’t declared on their parent’s taxes. There are certain situations that do classify a student as such - married, grad student, military, homeless, etc. - FAFSA includes a short list of questions that the student answers that determine dependency.</p>