Is Pell Grant separate from FAFSA or part of the same application?

Good news - you don't need to fill out a separate application for the Pell Grant! The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the only form you need to complete to be considered for the Pell Grant. When you submit your FAFSA, you're automatically considered for the Pell Grant based on your financial information. Once your FAFSA is processed, you'll receive a Student Aid Index (SAI) score that determines your Pell Grant eligibility. With a family income under $40k, you likely will qualify for some Pell Grant funding. Just make sure you complete the FAFSA accurately and submit it early, as some aid is first-come, first-served.

FAFSA covers everything!!!! Dont worry about seperate applications for Pell. I got mine just by doing FAFSA last year and they just told me i qualified in my award letter. Super easy.

As others mentioned, Pell Grants are awarded through the FAFSA process. Just to add some specifics: for the 2025-2026 academic year, the maximum Pell Grant award is expected to be around $7,900 (though this may change). Your actual award amount will depend on your Student Aid Index (SAI), cost of attendance at your chosen school, whether you'll attend full-time or part-time, and whether you'll attend for a full academic year. And yes, the SAI replaced the EFC (Expected Family Contribution) starting with the 2024-2025 FAFSA. Same concept, different name and slightly different calculation method.

To add to what everyone's saying - when I did my FAFSA last year, my family income was around $35k and I qualified for the full Pell Grant amount. But I did run into one problem - FAFSA selected me for verification which delayed everything. They basically wanted extra proof of my family's income because something didn't match up with their IRS records. It was a NIGHTMARE trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid to sort it out. I kept calling that 1-800 number and waiting on hold for literally hours only to get disconnected. If that happens to you, check out Claimyr.com - it saved me so much time. They have this service that holds your place in the phone queue and calls you back when an agent is available. They have a video demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Seriously worth it if you need to actually speak with someone at FSA, which you probably will at some point in this process.

everyone else is right about FAFSA & Pell being one application BUT what they're not mentioning is some schools will make you fill out the CSS Profile too which is separate and different from FAFSA!! so check if your schools need that too

I want to just add something important that others haven't mentioned yet. While you don't need to separately apply for the Pell Grant beyond filling out the FAFSA, there are maintenance requirements to KEEP receiving it each year. You need to: 1. Maintain satisfactory academic progress (usually a 2.0 GPA minimum, but varies by school) 2. Complete and submit a new FAFSA EVERY year 3. Not exceed your lifetime Pell Grant eligibility (currently equivalent to 12 full-time semesters) Make sure you're aware of these requirements so you don't lose your funding after the first year. I've seen many students not realize they need to reapply annually and then panic when their aid doesn't automatically renew.

hot tip: submit ur fafsa on october 1st exactly when it opens!!! i waited till december last year and got wayyyyyy less money than my friend who has the same family income but submitted right away. first come first served for some of the funds!!!

Thank you all SO MUCH for the helpful information! I feel way less stressed now knowing I just need to focus on completing the FAFSA correctly. I'm going to start gathering all the documents I need and aim to submit on October 1st when it opens. One last question - do you guys think it's better to use the FAFSA mobile app or just do it on the website?

Just wanted to jump in as someone who works in financial aid - you've gotten great advice here! One thing I'd add is to make sure you have your FSA ID (Federal Student Aid ID) created BEFORE October 1st when the FAFSA opens. Both you AND one of your parents will need separate FSA IDs to electronically sign the FAFSA. Creating the FSA ID can take a few days to process, and if you wait until the last minute, you might run into delays. You can create it at studentaid.gov. Also, double-check that the name on your FSA ID exactly matches your Social Security card - mismatches cause processing delays! Good luck with your application! With your family income under $40k, you should definitely qualify for significant Pell Grant funding.