Millions of undergraduates receive one every year, and you only get it if you file the FAFSA.

Answer:

$7,395

Questions:

• Would you rather attend where your grant covers most costs, or borrow more for your top-choice school?
• Whose job is it to make sure students know about aid they qualify for, the student's or the school's?
• Should the aid you get shape what you study, or should you pick your major and figure out how to pay for it?

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the Numbers: (Federal Student Aid)

Federal Student Aid updates the maximum every year: "For the 2026–27 award year, the maximum Pell Grant award is $7,395." More students qualify than think they do, since "Any undergraduate student, regardless of age, who hasn't earned a bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree may be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant if they have financial need and meet a few basic requirements," and the government tells students not to assume they are ineligible: "Don't let the term 'financial need' make you assume that you won't qualify for a Pell Grant." Pell Grants are not only for four-year schools. The money pays for "eligible two-year community colleges, career schools, trade schools, online schools, and four-year colleges and universities," and a student can receive Pell Grants "for about six years total."

About the Author

Dave Martin

Dave joins NGPF with 15 years of teaching experience in math and computer science. After joining the New York City Teaching Fellows program and earning a Master's degree in Education from Pace University, his teaching career has taken him to New York, New Jersey and a summer in the north of Ghana. Dave firmly believes that financial literacy is vital to creating well-rounded students that are prepared for a complex and highly competitive world. During what free time two young daughters will allow, Dave enjoys video games, Dungeons & Dragons, cooking, gardening, and taking naps.

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