Federal Grants for College
A degree at an accredited 4-year college or university is a goal that all American high school students should strive for. With a college education, one can qualify for higher paying jobs and achieve greater success in life. A high paying job results in larger checks to Uncle Sam come tax day. Therefore, it is to the advantage of the United States government, and to the country as a whole, to provide federal grants for college so that every American can access the opportunities that come with a college degree.
College tuition is expensive and not all families have the means to afford it. According to the U.S. Department of Education, four years of undergraduate tuition and housing costs $51,216 at a public university and $128,736 at a private university. If the tuition increases from the past decade continue at the same rate for the next ten years, the cost of a college degree will skyrocket to $70,166 for public and $160,920 for private by 2020. Online colleges and vocational schools (also known as career schools or trade schools) are less expensive but can still be outside the range of affordability. Fortunately, federal grants for college are available to any American that lacks the financial means but has the intelligence and the determination needed to be accepted to a college.
The United States federal government offers four different grant programs to help you pay for college:
- Pell Grant - Named after late U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell, The Pell Grant is a yearly award to low income students that have not yet obtained their undergraduate degree. Since this is by far the largest and most popular federal grant for college, we have devoted an entire article to the subject: Federal Pell Grant.
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) - If you meet the income requirements of the Pell Grant, you may also be eligible for additional help through the FSEOG program. This grant for college only gives funds to students in extraordinary financial need. In 2010, the FSEOG awarded nearly $960 million to over 1.3 million students. Each award fell between $100 and $4000 with an average award of $736. To qualify, you must meet the income requirements and attend a participating college for your undergraduate degree. When a student completes the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a score called the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is calculated based on the financial situation of the student's household. In 2010, your EFC is calculated as zero if you and your parent's yearly income is $31,000 or less. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants are first awarded to those with the lowest EFC. The amount of FSEOG grant money you will receive is up to your college, but in general the less your family is able to contribute to your tuition, the higher your grant.
- Iraq and Afghanistan Service College Grant - On July 1st 2010, the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant provided by the Higher Education Opportunity Act took effect. If a parent on military duty dies after September 11, 2001 in the Iraq or Afghanistan Wars, their children receive the maximum possible dollar amount from their Pell Grant award. If these same children do not meet the income criteria for the Pell Grant, they can receive the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant. The award amount is equal to the maximum Pell Grant possible, but is reduced if the student attends part-time.
- Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant (TEACH) - If you wish to become a teacher that educates students from low income families, then the TEACH Grant can help you pay for your teaching degree. It contributes up to $4000 per year for four years of undergraduate study and two years of graduate study. To be eligible, you must plan to work at a public or private school within a less advantaged neighborhood teaching a subject that has a shortage of qualified educators. Examples of such subjects include science, foreign language, and special education. If for some reason you are unable to fulfill this requirement, your grant converts to a government loan which must be paid back in full.
As of Saturday, March 25th, 2023, the federal government is also taking student applications for the following college grants, scholarships, fellowships, and awards:
- Equipment Grants Program
Deadline: May 3rd, 2023
Funds Available ($): $4,800,000 - Institutions of Higher Education in Insular Areas Agriculture and Food Science Facilities and Equipment Program for Insular Areas
Deadline: May 15th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $1,200,000 - OVC FY 2023 Human Trafficking Fellowship Program
Deadline: May 8th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $400,000 - FY 2023 Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI) Fellowship Program
Deadline: May 15th, 2023 - FY 2023 BridgeUSA Ukraine Journalism Scholarship Program
Deadline: May 22nd, 2023 - Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program
Deadline: May 15th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $1,250,000 - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Impact Aid Program: Impact Aid Discretionary Construction Grant Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.041C
Deadline: May 15th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $18,406,000 - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Well-Rounded Education Programs: Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.215G
Deadline: May 15th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $9,000,000 - Request for Information on Barriers to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in applying for Nuclear Forensics Research Awards (NFRAs)
Deadline: April 14th, 2023 - Cochran Fellowship Program - U.S. Softwoods for Structural Material: Quality, Grades, and Applications for Peru
Deadline: April 10th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $86,000 - International Agricultural Education Fellowship Program (Cooperative Agreement)
Deadline: June 19th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $1,000,000 - FY 2023 BridgeUSA Global STEM Scholarship Fund
Deadline: May 10th, 2023 - International Agricultural Education Fellowship Program
Deadline: June 19th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $1,000,000 - Pakistan English Language Professional Development for Teachers, Students, and Young Professionals
Deadline: May 3rd, 2023
Funds Available ($): $500,000 - Distance Education Grants Program for Institutions of Higher Education in Insular Areas
Deadline: May 5th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $800,000 - 2024 Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship and Summer Enrichment Program
Deadline: April 21st, 2023
Funds Available ($): $626,520 - U.S. Embassy Ghana University Partnership Initiative Notice of Funding Opportunity
Deadline: April 21st, 2023
Funds Available ($): $200,000 - Historically Black Colleges and Universities Center for Excellence
Deadline: April 28th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $500,000 - Regional Consortium of Student Societies on Climate Change
Deadline: April 24th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $500,000 - Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Department of Defense Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI)
Deadline: September 8th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $276,000,000 - FY24 Department of Defense Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI)
Deadline: September 8th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $276,000,000 - Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program (DDETFP) Graduate Fellowship
Deadline: April 7th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $1,000,000 - Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Sustainable Agricultural Systems
Deadline: July 13th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $80,000,000 - ROSES 2023: D.8 Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowships for Early Career Researchers
Deadline: December 14th, 2023 - FY24 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)
Deadline: May 12th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $53,000,000 - THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DoD) FISCAL YEAR 2024 DEFENSE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION PROGRAM (DURIP)- ARMY SUBMISSION
Deadline: May 12th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $53,000,000 - Fiscal Year 2024 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)
Deadline: May 12th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $53,000,000 - Establishing a University Partnership for a Center of Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) in Armenia
Deadline: April 11th, 2023 - FY 2023 Community College Administrator Program (CCAP)
Deadline: April 10th, 2023 - for Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA): Native American and Alaska Native Children in School (NAM) Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.365C
Deadline: April 25th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $2,100,000 - Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Foundational and Applied Science Program
Deadline: December 29th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $300,000,000 - FY 2023 Study of the U.S. Institute for Student Leaders from Pakistan on Comparative Public Policymaking
Deadline: April 3rd, 2023 - Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology Postdoctoral Research Program
Deadline: April 26th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $2,000,000 - IUSE/Professional Formation of Engineers: Revolutionizing Engineering Departments
Deadline: May 10th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $4,000,000 - NIJ FY23 Graduate Research Fellowship
Deadline: April 25th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $2,500,000 - Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): International Foreign Language Education (IFLE): Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) Program-Long-Term Projects, Assistance Listing Number 84.021B
Deadline: March 27th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $3,000,000 - Fellowships for Advanced Social Science Research on Japan
Deadline: April 26th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $180,000 - Engaging Students in English
Deadline: May 15th, 2023 - MUREP Women's Colleges and Universities (MUREP WCU)
Deadline: April 17th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $7,500,000 - Fiscal Year 2023 Lending Library - Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (LL-DURIP)
Deadline: April 14th, 2023 - HUDRD - Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Research Center of Excellence
Deadline: May 18th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $5,500,000 - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Individual Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
Deadline: April 11th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $2,500,000 - U.S. Embassy Belgrade - University Partnership Program (FY2023)
Deadline: April 19th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $450,000 - BER - Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (BER-RENEW)
Deadline: April 25th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $6,000,000 - Scholarships in STEM Network
Deadline: March 29th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $15,000,000 - NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication
Deadline: April 19th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $300,000 - EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Track-4: EPSCoR Research Fellows
Deadline: April 11th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $12,000,000 - Archaeology Program - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants
Deadline: April 5th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $800,000 - Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity
Deadline: May 25th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $20,000,000 - NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program
Deadline: March 29th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $120,000,000 - Fellowships Open Book Program
Deadline: November 15th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $450,000 - 2024 Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
Deadline: March 30th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $2,000,000 - FY2023 National Sea Grant College Program Special Projects
Deadline: September 30th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $30,000,000 - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-sponsored National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32)
Deadline: August 8th, 2025 - Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
Deadline: November 10th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $4,000,000 - EAR Postdoctoral Fellowships
Deadline: October 25th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $2,160,000 - Minority Fellowship Program
Deadline: May 9th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $15,742,904 - Advanced Nursing Education Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship (ANE-NPRF) Program
Deadline: April 11th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $30,012,998 - NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowships
Deadline: October 16th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $990,000 - Engineering Research Initiation
Deadline: September 15th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $11,000,000 - Transition to Aging Research for Predoctoral Students (F99/K00 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Deadline: October 18th, 2024 - Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers
Deadline: August 11th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $30,000,000 - Gen-4 Engineering Research Centers
Deadline: May 8th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $156,000,000 - Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Education and Workforce Development Program
Deadline: March 30th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $68,000,000 - Genome Research Experiences to Attract Talented Undergraduates into Genomic Fields to Enhance Diversity (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Deadline: July 1st, 2023 - Fellowships
Deadline: April 12th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $4,600,000 - Building Research Capacity of New Faculty in Biology
Deadline: June 30th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $15,000,000 - Genomic Curriculum Development for Medical Students (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Deadline: January 25th, 2024 - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Project to Support America's Families and Educators (Project SAFE) Grant Program Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.184N
Deadline: June 11th, 2024
Funds Available ($): $3,200,000 - Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Excellence in Research
Deadline: October 3rd, 2023
Funds Available ($): $10,000,000 - NIA Predoctoral Fellowship Award to Promote Diversity in Translational Research for AD/ADRD (F31)
Deadline: August 8th, 2024 - NIA Postdoctoral Fellowship Award to Promote Diversity in Translational Research for AD/ADRD (F32 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Deadline: August 8th, 2024 - Academic Research Enhancement Award for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions (R15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Deadline: May 7th, 2024 - Academic Research Enhancement Award for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions (R15 Clinical Trial Required)
Deadline: May 7th, 2024 - CyberCorps(R) Scholarship for Service
Deadline: July 17th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $20,000,000 - Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
Deadline: August 29th, 2023
Funds Available ($): $67,000,000 - Advancing Innovation and Impact in Undergraduate STEM Education at Two-year Institutions of Higher Education
Deadline: May 1st, 2023 - Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (U-RISE) (T34 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Deadline: May 26th, 2023 - NIA MSTEM: Advancing Diversity in Aging Research through Undergraduate Education (R25 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Deadline: May 25th, 2023 - NIDCD Research Dissertation Fellowship for Au.D. Audiologists (F32)
Deadline: January 7th, 2024 - Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions with NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (Parent F30)
Deadline: September 7th, 2023 - Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (Parent F32)
Deadline: September 7th, 2023 - Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (Parent F31-Diversity)
Deadline: September 7th, 2023 - Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions Without NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (Parent F30)
Deadline: September 7th, 2023 - Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (Parent F31)
Deadline: September 7th, 2023 - University Nuclear Leadership Program- Scholarship and Fellowship Support
Deadline: October 14th, 2030
Funds Available ($): $50,000,000 - Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (Parent F31-Diversity)
Deadline: May 7th, 2023 - Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions with NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (Parent F30)
Deadline: May 7th, 2023 - Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Senior Fellowship (Parent F33)
Deadline: May 7th, 2023 - Department of Defense Research and Education Program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MSI)
Deadline: April 30th, 2024
In addition to the above federal grants for college, you can obtain grant money from your state and directly from the school you are attending. Many states provide grants to residents that attend a public college located within the state. States also offer financial grants similar to the Pell Grant. For example, the Cal Grant provides up to $12,192 per year to low income students attending University of California schools. Universities will commonly offer grants directly to students. These will be college grants are based on financial aid, merit, or a combination of both. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, gives an average of $31,926 per recipient of their grant.
© 2023 Federal Grants