Pell Grants for Single Mothers

One of the sought-after and widely known educational grants for single moms is Pell grants for single mothers which are need-based educational college grants. The Pell Grants are granted to college students who come from low-income households, which include single mothers, whose income is categorized as falling below a predetermined income level.

Pell Grants for single mothers like all other federal educational grants are not similar to loans since they are considered as gifts in the form of grant money for aiding college students in paying for their tuition fee and other school related expenses, and they do not need to be repaid.
Typically, Pell Grants are granted to undergraduate students or single mothers who intends to earn either a professional or bachelor’s degree. However, there are instances wherein students going through post-baccalaureate certification for teachers are eligible to obtain a Pell Grant.
Pell Grants for single mothers are ideal for single moms because other financial assistance for education whether from non-federal or federal agencies can be supplemented with it.

Pell Grants for Single Mothers Eligibility Requirements

Aside from coming from a low-income household, for all students and single mothers to be eligible for a Pell Grant, they must meet the eligibility requirements as set forth by the Pell Grant foundation. Applicants of Pell Grants should be a legal citizen of the United States and should be an undergraduate student. Those who have already earned their bachelor’s degree are not qualified for Pell Grants. This is an important aspect of financial aid for single mothers.

Grant Denomination Awarded by Pell Grants for Single Mothers

In general, the minimum Pell Grant that can be awarded is $400. During the school year 2009 to 2010, the maximum Pell Grant awarded to qualified applicants is $5,350. In the school year 2010 to 2011, the maximum denomination went up to $5,550.

The highest Pell Grant denomination is provided for all qualified students who have parents or guardians who passed away because of military service in Afghanistan or Iraq as implemented after September 11, 2001 or 9/11. Pell Grants for single mothers also follow this policy. To avail of this, eligible students should not be older than 24 years old or at the least, enrolled in college part-time around the time of their parents’ or guardians’ deaths.

Prior to the school year 2011-2012, qualified students can receive two Pell Grants in one award year, but at the start of the 2011-2012 school year, qualified students will only be able to get a single Pell Grant during one award year.
Each eligible student is awarded different denominations of Pell Grants which will be highly dependent on the following factors:

• EFC or Expected Family Contribution – EFC is defined as the amount of money college students or their family can contribute for college expenses as determined by the federal government. The EFC will be based and then calculated from the specific information you supplied in your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form.

When calculating a qualified student’s EFC, the federal agency will take into consideration your family’s average income, the size of your family, financial assets if any, as well as if you have other family members also currently enrolled in college.

• COA or Cost of Attendance – COA is the overall amount of the expenses that comes particularly with the school you wish to attend. This will include of course, your tuition fee, as well as all associated academic fees. Likewise, other non-academic fees that are involved when you attend school such as housing expenses, transportation and IT charges will also be calculated in your COA.

• Status of Enrollment – If eligible students are full-time students or part-time students.
For students qualified for Pell Grants, your school will be the one to decide on how they provide you the Pell Grant money. In general, schools will give you the grant money by directly applying them to your school-related expenditures, by handing it to you in check form or by combining the two methods.

Your school is required to officially inform in writing the amount of your Pell Grant award, as well as the time and methods they’ll be using to pay you. Schools that implement quarterly, trimestral, or semestral term periods are likewise required to disburse Pell Grant money once on every term. On the other hand, schools that do not use the above mentioned term periods are required to pay off grants twice in an academic year at the least. Also, look into scholarships for single mothers.

Does FAFSA Equal a Pell Grant Application?
Once you have accomplished your FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, it will equal and serve as your application for a Pell Grant. Likewise, because granting federal grants have a first come first serve policy, you should ideally send in your completed FAFSA form with the appropriate accompanying documents as soon as possible such as your state or school’s deadline date for financial aid application.
Avoid sending in your accomplished FAFSA form on the deadline set forth by the federal government because it is much later than the deadline determined by states and majority of schools. When you’re FAFSA has been processed, you will receive a SAR or Student Aid Report that will contain information regarding your EFC and if you are successful in obtaining a Pell Grant. Additionally, your FAFSA is not automatically renewed annually so remember to file a new FAFSA yearly.

The benefits awarded by Pell Grants for single mothers, and other federal grants for that matter, are truly of great help to all single moms out there since for them, finishing a degree, diploma or certificate can increase their chances of securing jobs with higher wages in order to make a better future for their family.