Free money from the U.S. Department of Education. Every one starts with the FAFSA. Amounts below are for the 2026–27 award year.
Who qualifies: Undergraduates with exceptional financial need who have not earned a bachelor's degree. Amount depends on your Student Aid Index, cost of attendance and enrollment status. Does not have to be repaid.
How to apply: File the FAFSA each year; no separate application.
Deadline: Rolling — file the FAFSA as early as possible each year; schools and states set earlier priority dates.
Who qualifies: Undergraduates with exceptional financial need (priority to Pell recipients). Not every college participates, and funds run out — apply early.
How to apply: File the FAFSA early and check your college's financial aid deadlines.
Deadline: First-come at each college — each school sets its own deadline for campus-based aid.
Who qualifies: Students in TEACH-eligible programs preparing to teach a high-need field at a low-income school; generally a 3.25 GPA or above-75th-percentile test score. Requires a 4-year teaching service obligation or the grant converts to a loan with interest.
How to apply: File the FAFSA, complete TEACH counseling and sign the Agreement to Serve or Repay at a participating school.
Deadline: Set by your college.
Always confirm on the official site. Grant amounts, deadlines and rules change every year and depend on state funding. We list only grants we confirmed on the administering agency's official page and show the date we last checked. We are not affiliated with any government agency.
The Department of Education's former Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant page now redirects to the Federal Pell Grant page, so we no longer list it separately. Check with your financial aid office if a parent or guardian died as a result of U.S. military service in Iraq or Afghanistan.
$7,395 for the 2026–27 award year (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027), according to StudentAid.gov. Your amount depends on your Student Aid Index, cost of attendance and enrollment.
Grants are usually need-based and come from the federal government, your state or your college. Scholarships are often merit-based and come from private sponsors. Neither has to be repaid.
For almost every grant on this site, the first step is the free FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Many states use the FAFSA alone; some add a short state application. File as early as you can — many state grants are first-come, first-served.
As soon as it opens for the year. Federal Pell has a late federal deadline, but state grants and college aid often have early priority dates or run out of money.
Generally no. A grant may have to be repaid if you withdraw early, and the TEACH Grant becomes a loan if you don't complete its teaching service requirement.
Every week our checker re-opens each official grant page and flags changes for review. Each grant shows its last verified date. Last site update: Oct 15, 2026.