Federal student aid programs

There are three categories of federal student aid: grants, loans and work-study. Grants provide financial aid that does not have to be repaid. Loans provide borrowed money that must be repaid with interest. Work-study allows students to earn money to help pay for education expenses while enrolled in school.

Your financial aid "package" - the aid your school awards you - is likely to include funds from the federal student aid programs. Note that not all schools participate in all of the federal student aid programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education. The major programs are described below:

• Federal Pell Grants are available to undergraduate students only (with one minor exception for teacher certification students). Grants do not have to be repaid. For the 2009-10 award year (July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010), the maximum award is $5,350.



• Academic Competitiveness Grants (ACGs) are for undergraduates receiving Pell Grants who are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens and are enrolled at least half-time during their enrollment in the first or second years of study: freshman and sophomore year grade levels of an ACG-eligible program. Students who completed a rigorous high school program of study may receive up to $750 for the first year of an ACG-eligible program and up to $1,300 while enrolled in the second year of an ACG-eligible program. Second year students must have at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average at the end of completion of their first year of postsecondary study.



• National Science and Mathematics Access To Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grants) are for undergraduates receiving Pell Grants who are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens and are enrolled at least half-time during their enrollment in the third or fourth year of study: junior and senior year grade levels in a National SMART Grant-eligible program. Students who major in specific courses in the fields of physical, life or computer sciences, mathematics, technology, engineering, or critical foreign languages may receive up to $4,000 while enrolled in the third or fourth years of a National SMART Grant-eligible program. Students must maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average. Students enrolled in a National SMART Grant-eligible program with five full years of coursework may be eligible to receive up to $4,000 during the fifth year of the eligible program.



• Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grants Grants are for undergraduate or graduate students who are completing coursework or who plan to complete coursework necessary to become an elementary or secondary school teacher in a public or private elementary or secondary school. Undergraduate students may receive up to $4,000 per year to a $16,000 aggregate. Graduate students may receive up to $4,000 per year to an $8,000 aggregate. Students are not required to be Pell Grant eligible to receive the new federal grant (that is, students do not have to demonstrate financial need).
  
  Important Note: Specific conditions apply to the TEACH Grant. All students who accept the TEACH Grant must sign a teacher service agreement. Each student must agree to serve as a full-time, highly qualified teacher in a high need field in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students. Students who fail to fulfill the teaching service agreement must repay the grant as an unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loan, with interest accruing from the dates of the original disbursements. Visit www.studentaid.ed.gov for more information.



• William D. Ford Federal Direct Stafford Loans and Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Stafford Loans are student loans that must be repaid and are available to both undergraduate and graduate students. If your school participates in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program, the federal government provides the funds for your Direct Stafford Loan through your school. If your school participates in the FFEL Program, a private lender provides the funds for your FFEL Stafford Loan. First-year dependent undergraduates are eligible for a subsidized loan up to $3,500 and up to an additional unsubsidized amount of $2,000 for a total of $5,500. A subsidized loan is awarded on the basis of financial need. If you're eligible for a subsidized loan, the government will pay (subsidize) the interest on your loan while you're in school, for the first six months after you leave school, and if you qualify to have your payments deferred. For an unsubsidized loan, you are responsible for the interest from the time the unsubsidized loan is disbursed until it is paid in full. Amounts increase for subsequent years of study, with higher amounts for graduate students. Federal Stafford Loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2006 have a fixed rate of 6.8 percent. Direct and FFEL Subsidized loans first disbursed to undergraduate students only on or after July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010 have an interest rate of 5.6 percent.



• FFEL PLUS Loans and Direct PLUS Loans are unsubsidized loans made to parents of dependent undergraduate students (Parent PLUS loans) and to graduate or professional students (Graduate PLUS loans). FFEL PLUS Loans are made through private lenders; Direct PLUS Loan funds are provided by the federal government through the school. A graduate or professional student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the school must determine the student's eligibility for the maximum annual amount of a FFEL or a Direct Loan Program Stafford Loan (subsidized or unsubsidized) before the student may apply for a Graduate PLUS Loan. However, the student is not required to accept the Stafford Loan funds as a condition for receiving a Graduate PLUS Loan. A dependent undergraduate student whose parent is unable to obtain a PLUS Loan may borrow additional Stafford Loan funds at the higher loan limits otherwise only available to independent undergraduates. Direct PLUS Loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2006 have a fixed interest rate of 7.9 percent. FFEL PLUS Loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2006 have a fixed interest rate of 8.5 percent.



• Campus-Based Programs are administered by participating schools. There are three of these programs. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants are grants available for undergraduates only; awards range from $100-$4,000. Federal Work-Study provides jobs to undergraduate and graduate students, allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses. Federal Perkins Loans are low-interest (5 percent) loans that must be repaid; the maximum annual loan amount is $5,500 for undergraduate students and $8,000 for graduate students.

The above programs provide more than $100 billion in aid to help about 10 million students pay for postsecondary education. Your financial aid package also may include aid from the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) Program, which assists states in providing grants to eligible students for postsecondary study. States may use a percentage of their LEAP funds to provide work-study assistance.

Note that accepting any of this aid does not commit the student to military or other government service.