<p>Single parent that made 42,000 before taxes last year.
Dependent student unemployed with 0 income last year.</p>
<p>Only allowed $400 per semester from Pell Grant...</p>
<p>Does that sound right?</p>
<p>Yes it sounds right. Your FAFSA EFC was likely in the close to $4000 range… And the Pell grant is based solely on the FAFSA EFC.</p>
<p>If you’re a family of two (1 adult/1child) then the calculations will be harsher since your income is only supporting 1 adult and 1 child. </p>
<p>The same income with 2 adults/1child would be difference since each adult has a significant exemption in the calculation (it is assumed that each adult costs the household a lot of money…food, clothing, car, etc). </p>
<p>Thumper is right… You likely have an EFC of about $4000 (I’m guessing it’s about $4600), so the Pell grant amount would be about $800.</p>
<p>This sounds correct, and I need to warn about something … if the student drops below 12 credits, the award is $300 per semester for 9-11 credits and $0 for anything less than 9 credits. The schedule is strange in the upper Pell-eligible-EFC numbers.</p>