The first step in applying for a grant is to fill out your FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
State Grants
If you're a Pennsylvania resident, the information on your FAFSA will automatically be sent to the American Education Services/Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency. AES/PHEAA will determine if you're eligible to receive a state grant.
During the 2006-07 year, Pennsylvania state grants ranged from $400 to $4,200.
If you're not from PA, we encourage you to check to see if your state provides grants.
Federal Pell Grants
Eligible students are awarded grants from the federal government in amounts ranging between $400 to $4,050.
Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG)
If you're a first-year college student and you graduated from high school in 2006 or after, you may be eligible to receive up to $750 per year.
If you're a second-year college student and you graduated high school in 2005 or after, you may be eligible to receive up to $1,300 per year. You'll also need to have a GPA of at least 3.0.
To be eligible, you also need to be:
- Pell eligible
- A U.S. citizen
- Enrolled full time
- A high school graduate who completed a rigorous program
National SMART Grant
You may be eligible to receive up to $4,000 if you're a third- or fourth-year college student majoring in certain math, science, technology or foreign languages and maintain a GPA of at least 3.0.
To be eligible, you also need to be:
- Pell eligible
- A U.S. citizen
- Enrolled full time
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG)
You may be eligible for a federal grant ranging from $200 to $1,500.