Grant is an award given by federal agency to pay your tuition fee. The best thing about a grant is that you don't have to pay it back. There are two types of college grants:

Direct Grants

To get these grants you have to directly apply to the federal government.

Pass Through Grants

In these grants, the state applies to the federal government that receives the grant and pass it back to the state.

There are 26 federal agencies like Department of Education that run more than 1,000 grant programs.

Most Popular Student Grant

Pell grant is the most popular and widely distributed grant. It is given to undergraduate students who enroll in a degree program. The grant is occasionally given to students enrolling in a graduate teacher certification program.

Along with Pell Grant, the other major federal college grants include:

The Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG)

It is offered to freshman and sophomore undergraduate students.

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

It is awarded to low income undergraduate students in order to help them in continue their studies in a graduate school.

The National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant)

The grant is offered to juniors and seniors in technology, computer science, life science, engineering or a foreign language. All the subjects should be critically important to national security.

The total amount you receive from Pell Grant is determined by:

• Your enrollment status (part time or full time course).
• Have you attended the school for a full term.
• Expected contribution of family.
• Cost of college attendance.

Payment of Grant

You will get paid in one of these ways:

• Directly by check.
• Amount will be credited to school amount.
• By above two methods.

You can apply for the grants online. In the process, you need to download the application form, fill it and submit it online.