Federal and State Grants

This section covers every major category of government grant available to U.S. college students: the federal programs administered through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the state programs that sit alongside them, and the specialized grants tied to specific school types, career paths, or student situations. The pages are grouped this way because federal and state grants share a common logic—need-based eligibility, FAFSA as a starting point, and rules that change when you withdraw or transfer—but they differ sharply in funding levels, residency requirements, and how quickly money runs out.

Because grant rules changed on 1 July 2026, several pages distinguish between students who were already enrolled before that date and those entering under the new rules. Where a rule applies only to one group, the relevant page says so clearly. Award amounts, income cutoffs, and state funding caps are not listed here because they are recalculated each award year; each page tells you exactly where to find the current figure.

A good way to work through this section is to start with the overview of what is actually available, then read the Pell Grant page before moving to your state's program. If you are a community college student, a returning adult, or enrolled in a career and technical program, the pages written for those situations will be more directly useful than the general ones. Finish with the pages on deadlines, withdrawal rules, and how grants interact with scholarships, because those are where families most often lose money they were already awarded.