College grants: money you don't pay back
Grants are free money for college or career school. The biggest come from the federal government and your state, and one free form opens the door to almost all of them: the FAFSA.
Start with the FAFSA. It's free.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is how you apply for federal grants and work-study, and most states and colleges use it to hand out their own grants too. The 2027-28 FAFSA, for the school year that starts in fall 2027, is open now.
Never pay anyone to fill it out, and never share your FSA ID.
Federal grants
Federal Pell Grant
Up to $7,395 for the 2026-27 school year
For undergraduates with financial need who don't already have a bachelor's degree, including adults going back to school. You can get it for up to 12 semesters in your lifetime. It can be larger if a parent died serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, or in the line of duty as a police officer, firefighter or other public safety officer.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
Up to $4,000 a year
For students with exceptional financial need. Pell Grant students come first, and not every school takes part, so apply early and ask the financial aid office.
TEACH Grant
For future teachers
For students training to teach a high-need subject. Afterward you must teach full time for 4 years, within 8 years, at a school that serves low-income families. If you don't, the grant turns into a loan you have to repay.
Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
For children of fallen service members
For students whose parent or guardian died serving in Iraq or Afghanistan after 9/11, who were under 24 or in college at the time, and who don't qualify for a Pell Grant.
State and college grants
Most states have their own grants, and many hand them out from the FAFSA. States and schools can run out of money, so their deadlines matter more than the federal one: state deadlines vary, and college deadlines are often around February. The federal deadline is June 30 at the end of each school year.
Ask the financial aid office at each school what grants it offers on its own.
Work-study
Federal Work-Study gives part-time jobs to students with financial need, often on campus, so you earn money for school while you're there. You ask for it on the FAFSA.
Scholarships
Search thousands of scholarships for free with the Labor Department's CareerOneStop. Also ask school counselors, employers, unions, churches and veterans' groups near you.
Grown-ups and job training
Adults can get Pell Grants too. For job training, your local American Job Center may help pay through the federal WIOA program.
Veterans and their families
The GI Bill helps pay for college and training for veterans and, in some cases, their spouses and children.
Amounts and rules checked November 10, 2026. They change every year, and StudentAid.gov has the final word. More real help: help programs and grants.