Grants

Federal Pell Grants

The most common grant is a Federal Pell Grant. Unlike a loan, it does not need to be repaid. Generally, Pell Grants are awarded only to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's or professional degree. (A professional degree is usually earned after earning a bachelor's degree. Professional degrees are usually in fields like law, medicine, or dentistry.) For many students, Pell Grants provide a foundation of financial aid to which other aid may be added. Eligibility for Pell Grants is determined by the Federal Government.

Qualifying for Pell
To determine if you're eligible financially, the US Department of Education uses a standard formula, established by Congress, to evaluate the information you report when you apply. The formula produces an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) number. Your Student Aid Report (SAR) contains this number, in the upper right portion of page 1, and will tell you if you're eligible for a Pell Grant.

Award
You can receive only one Pell Grant in an award year. How much you get will depend on your Expected Family Contribution and your cost of attendance(COA), whether you are a full or part time student, and whether you attend school for a full academic year or less. You may not receive Pell Grant funds from more than one school at a time.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants

A Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is for undergraduates with exceptional financial need - that is, students with the lowest Expected Family Contributions (EFCs) - and gives priority to students who receive Federal Pell Grants. An FSEOG does not have to be paid back.

The US Department of Education guarantees that each participating school will receive enough money to pay the Federal Pell Grants of its eligible students. There's no guarantee every eligible student will be able to receive an FSEOG based on the availability of funds at that school. FSEOGs are funded with Federal dollars, but administered locally at each school. It is considered a campus-based program.

Award
A student may receive between $100 and $4,000 a year, depending on when the student applies, the level of need, the funding level of AASU, and the policies of the financial aid office.

Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Grant
(LEAP Grant Program)

This is primarily a State of Georgia grant program. The funds are approximately 2/3 state and 1/3 federal dollars. The LEAP Grant is for undergraduate students that demonstrate substantial financial need and are enrolled at least half-time. Students must be Pell eligible to be considered for LEAP. Substantial financial need is defined as financial need equal to, or greater than $2000 for the academic year. Because LEAP is primarily a state program, applicants must have been a Georgia resident for a minimum of 12 months. Just like FSEOG funds, there's no guarantee that every eligible student will be able to receive a LEAP Grant based on the availability of funds at that school.

Award
A student may receive an award up to $2,000 per academic year, depending on when the student applies, the level of need, the funding level of AASU, and the policies of the financial aid office.

More details on Pell Grants an FSEOG Grants are available in the US Department of Education publication - The Student Guide: Financial Aid .