Can someone with refugee status qualify for a pell grant?

Question

My boyfriend has refugee status in this country. He is from the Sudan. This means he is free to work and go to school here. However, does anyone know whether he would qualify for a pell grant? Or do you have to be a technical citizen?

I am asking this because I'm frantically looking for ways to help ease his load, which would include NOT working a fulltime overnight job while going to school fulltime and supporting a cousin who barely works at all...

I need to find ways for him to go to school without having to work like this at the same time. It's insane. And we are probably going to be finished for good because of the stress if some solution is not found. I'm trying to help.

Anyone with a HELPFUL and INFORMATIVE answer will be awarded best answer. Thank you.

Pell grants are based on financial need. They aren't a right as a US citizen. There are too many people in this country who think they're poor but really aren't. I qualified for a pell grant. My family's income was less than $10000 a year. That is needy. $30000+ is not. Sorry. I just needed to put some perspective in there and that is one of my pet peeves.

As for being a refugee, he came here as a guest of our country because his own is in the middle of a genocide -- in case you hadn't heard. It's not like he came here with the desire to take away "your" college money. Anyway I'm done with that now...

Just a P.S. What makes you think he doesn't have a social security #? He's not an illegal immigrant. Man people are getting pretty paranoid in this county. Some seem to think that everyone who isn't white and has an accent must be illegal. That is SO far from the case. Get a clue people. Sorry this is directed at um, what's her name... the first person who answered this question... not the general population of yahoo answers. =)

If you had two parents who were both able to work full-time jobs, as your question indicated... then the odds of their income being at LEAST $30000 are pretty darn high.

Um, I was going by what you said. But okay, whatever. The point is, your parents made enough for you not to qualify. The cut-off is around 22,000. Now, I know that's not rich. But sometimes people just are not thankful for what they have. If you were actually in poverty, which is below 12000/year... you obviously would have qualified. And you obviously do care about what I have to say about this in this question, since you've come back and revised your answer about four times.

Answer 1

Eligible Noncitizen You must be one of the following to receive federal student aid:
U.S. citizen

U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa or Swain’s Island)

U.S. permanent resident who has an I-151, I-551, or I-551C (Alien Registration Receipt Card)
If you’re not in one of these categories, you must have an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service) showing one of the following designations:
“Refugee”

“Asylum Granted”

“Cuban-Haitian Entrant, Status Pending”

“Conditional Entrant” (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980)


So, your boyfriend IS eligible for financial aid. To apply for the Pell Grant and all other financial aid he will have to fill out the FAFSA after he recieves his tax returns in January. Remeber the earlier you fill it out the better of a chance you will have to get as much money as you can. It is need based, but if you wait a long time to fill it out you might get less than what you would have gotten just because the funds might not be there.

I hope this helps you!

Answer 2

A Pell Grant is granted on basis of financial need. I'm not sure if you have to be a citizen or not. When you apply for financial aid the Pell Grant is always tried first. The qualifications for income level are very strict and the amount of money given is limited. As far as I know they don't grant enough to pay for the entire cost of tuition. That's why you apply for a federal student loan. These are low interest and can be consolidated later to lower the interest rate even further.
Any information you need on student financial aid can be found here:
http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml

Answer 3

I am not sure, but I believe that unless he has a social security number, he can't apply or receive those kinds of benefits.

Frankly, I would be appalled to hear her did. I understand that paying for school is tough, but I didn't qualify for a pell grant, and I am a born and riased US citizen, as were both my parents and all of my grandparents. They paid into the system. I didn't qualify. I still made it to college, and graduated....but I did it with a loan and a job. It took me 5 years, and a lot of debt (which I also got myself out of). If he can't find a way to go to school here, he should maybe go home.