FSEOG (Grants) Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant

What Are the FSEOG Requirements for Financial Aid?

Finding financial aid for college can be quite frustrating at times. It’s stressful enough trying to apply, enroll in classes, and get everything organized at once. Worries about tuition top the list of what is on most college students’ minds. Even if you are awarded grants or scholarships, will they be enough to cover the entire amount?

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant is awarded to college students who have a significant need for financial aid. It is not intended to pay for your entire year’s tuition, but to supplement other grants and awards. Amounts are awarded yearly and range from $100 to $4,000. In 2009, this program provided a total of $958,816,000 to undergrad students across the country.

How do you know if you are eligible for this grant? As with all financial aid, the first thing you must do is fill out the Free Application for Student Aid, better known as the FAFSA. You must show exceptional need, meaning that your family’s contribution toward your tuition will be zero.

There are several requirements the student must meet in order to be eligible for the FSEOG. First, you must be an undergraduate enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree program. You must be pursuing your first Bachelor’s degree. The fact that you have been through college once already does not show significant need.

You must be a U.S. citizen to be considered. Your grades must meet the proper requirements, which usually means your GPA must be above a 2.0. If you have been in default on a student loan, you will not qualify for the FSEOG. You also may not owe any repayment on other grants.  Finally, you must have been awarded a Pell Grant in order to qualify (What is a Pell Grant?).

If you are awarded a grant through this program, you will be notified through either postal mail or email. The money will be disbursed to your school, which will apply the amount toward your tuition, rooming, etc; or you will receive a check through the mail. If you receive the check yourself, you could use some of it to pay for the cost of those textbooks that can really pile up and become quite expensive.

If you are awarded money through the FSEOG program, it is not guaranteed that you will receive it each year. Be sure to fill out or update your FAFSA every year so that you will be considered for the grant.