Financial Aid · 29 guides · 3 tools
Find the aid you don’t pay back, before you borrow.
Plain guides to Pell Grants, state grants, the FAFSA and military benefits. Each one ends in a tool that turns the rules into your number.
- state grant programs
- 56
- across 50 states, from state aid agencies
- government source records
- 192
- behind these guides and tools, each dated
Guides by question
What do you need to know?
Can I get a grant?
Grants are aid you generally don’t repay. Start here before you borrow.
- Pell Grant Income Limits 2026-27 and 2027-28 by Family Size For 2026-27, a family of four gets the maximum Pell Grant with 2024 AGI up to $54,600, or $70,200 for a single parent. Every limit by family size. 9 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- Pell Grants for adults over 30: no age limit in 2026-27 Pell sets no age limit. For 2026-27 it pays up to $7,395, and a single parent of two with 2024 AGI up to $58,095 meets the maximum-award income test. 7 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- How much Pell do you have left? The lifetime limit Pell stops at 600% of a full award, about six years of full-time school, counting every Pell since 1973. How to read your flag and what a partial award pays. 6 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- Pell for a second bachelor's: the two exceptions A bachelor's degree generally ends Pell eligibility. Two exceptions remain: teacher certification programs and eligible workforce programs. Who qualifies. 5 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- Will Pell go up in 2027-28? What Congress has proposed Congress has not set the 2027-28 Pell maximum. A House bill would raise it $50 to $7,445; the President's budget keeps $7,395. What decides it, and when. 6 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- State Financial Aid Programs 2026-27: Grants by State Cal Grant pays up to $17,236 and Maryland's Guaranteed Access Grant up to $18,000 for 2026-27. Each state's main grant, next deadline and forms. 9 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- Grants for College in 2026-27: Pell, FSEOG, TEACH and State Pell pays up to $7,395 for 2026-27, FSEOG up to $4,000 and state grants like Cal Grant up to $17,236. How each grant works and the one form that applies. 8 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- Scholarships for Adults Going Back to School Adults returning to college can stack Pell, state reconnect grants, employer aid and named awards like Osher, P.E.O. and Rankin. Rules and 2026 amounts. 7 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- Grants for single parents going back to school Single parents get a higher income line for the maximum Pell Grant, and schools can add childcare to your cost of attendance. How both work for 2026-27. 7 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- Can you get financial aid with a criminal record? Yes. Most people with a criminal record can get federal aid, and drug convictions no longer affect eligibility. The few exceptions, and how to apply. 6 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- Lost aid years ago? How to get Pell back after SAP Sitting out a term doesn't restore aid lost for poor academic progress. An appeal or meeting the school's standard does. Here's how each works. 7 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- Free community college for adults, by state Massachusetts covers community college at any age, Michigan from 21, Tennessee from 23 and New York's SUNY from 25 to 55. Who qualifies and what it pays. 7 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- SNAP benefits in college: the 2026 student rules Students enrolled at least half time need an exemption to get SNAP, like working 20 hours a week, work-study, a young child or being 50 or older. The full list. 6 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
How much will I get?
Your Student Aid Index decides most of it. These explain the formula.
- How Much Financial Aid Will I Get in 2026-27? Undergraduates averaged $16,810 in aid in 2024-25, $12,080 of it grants. For 2026-27, Pell pays up to $7,395. How each part of your aid is set. 7 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- Student Aid Index (SAI) Explained: The 2026-27 Formula Your SAI runs from -1,500 to 999,999 and is not a bill. For 2026-27, an SAI of 0 or less means the maximum $7,395 Pell. How the formula works, step by step. 8 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- The SAI cutoff for Pell in 2026-27, and who it hits From 2026-27, a Student Aid Index of $14,790 or more means no Pell Grant, even under the income lines. The four SAI zones and what each one pays. 6 min read · Updated Ends in the SAI Calculator
- What a negative SAI means, and what it gets you A Student Aid Index can go as low as -1,500. Any SAI of zero or below qualifies for the maximum Pell, but a lower number doesn't add more aid. Here's why. 5 min read · Updated Ends in the SAI Calculator
- Part-time Pell: what one, two or three classes pay Pell scales with your course load. At 6 of 12 credits you get half the award. What one, two or three classes pay in 2026-27, term by term. 5 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- Year-round Pell: get paid for summer classes too Year-round Pell lets you receive up to 150% of your yearly Pell when you take summer classes. How it works, what summer adds, and what it costs you later. 5 min read · Updated Ends in the Time-to-Degree Calculator
- Lost your job? Ask your school to redo your aid Your FAFSA reads income from two years ago. After a layoff, your aid office can adjust it for lost income. What to ask for, what to bring, and when to ask. 6 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
Applying and deadlines
The FAFSA is the application for almost all of it. Dates vary by state.
- FAFSA Guide 2026-27 and 2027-28: Which Form to File Two FAFSA forms are open. File 2026-27 for classes through June 2027 (2024 taxes) or 2027-28 for fall 2027 on (2025 taxes). Steps, documents, deadlines. 7 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- File the 2027-28 FAFSA in October: why adults should The 2027-28 FAFSA opened Sept 23, 2026 and reads 2025 income. Starting in January? That's the 2026-27 form. Which one to file, and why October beats spring. 6 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- FAFSA for married students: your spouse's part Married students file the FAFSA as independent students, and a spouse's income counts. When your spouse must join the form, and what to do if they have no SSN. 6 min read · Updated Ends in the SAI Calculator
- FAFSA if you didn't file taxes: how non-filers apply You can file the 2026-27 FAFSA without a 2024 tax return. If you weren't required to file, the form sets your SAI to -1,500, the maximum Pell level. 6 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- Financial Aid Deadlines 2026-27 and 2027-28 by State The 2027-28 FAFSA is open. Texas wants it by Jan 15, 2027, California by March 2, and some states pay first-come. Every state date, plus 2026-27. 7 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
Military and veterans
GI Bill chapters, housing allowance and Yellow Ribbon, from the VA’s rates.
- GI Bill 2026-27: tuition cap, housing pay and chapters For 2026-27 the Post-9/11 GI Bill pays full in-state public tuition, up to $30,908.34 at private schools, monthly housing and $1,000 for books. 10 min read · Updated Ends in the GI Bill Calculator
- GI Bill and Pell together: you can get both The GI Bill doesn't reduce your Pell Grant, and Pell doesn't reduce your GI Bill tuition. How veterans stack both for 2026-27, with the numbers. 6 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- GI Bill for online school: housing up to $1,261 a month For 2026-27 the Post-9/11 GI Bill pays online-only students up to $1,261 a month in housing. How your tier and credit load set your share, and the hybrid rule. 6 min read · Updated Ends in the GI Bill Calculator
- Yellow Ribbon Program schools 2026-27: caps and seats Yellow Ribbon pays tuition above the $30,908.34 Post-9/11 private cap for 2026-27. VA's September 2026 list has 7,219 listings; see caps and seat limits. 7 min read · Updated Ends in the GI Bill Calculator
Where these figures come from
Every number links to the page it came from.
We quote the government source directly and note the date we last read it. A top amount is labelled as a top amount, never as what you’ll get.
- Federal Student Aid (ed.gov) Pell amounts, the SAI formula, FAFSA dates
- State higher-education agencies State grant amounts and deadlines
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs GI Bill rates, Yellow Ribbon, housing allowance
- HHS poverty guidelines The income lines behind Pell eligibility
Find out what’s free before you borrow.
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