Financial Eligibility Requirements

• Individual schools determine a student's eligibility to earn a Pell Grant by calculating the student's expected family contribution, or EFC. The EFC determines how much money the unemployed student's family and the student can contribute to his tuition. If the EFC remains under a certain threshold as determined by the school, the student is financially eligible to earn Pell Grant funding. How much Pell Grant money students receive in a given academic year depends on the calculated EFC, and these funds were capped at $5,550 for the 2011 to 2012 school year.
  
  

Other Requirements

• In addition to meeting financial requirements, the unemployed student needs to be enrolled in an eligible degree program to earn Pell Grant funds. The student must be an undergraduate student; students enrolled in graduate programs are generally not eligible for Pell Grant funds. The exception to this rule is a student enrolled in a post-baccalaureate teacher certification or licensure program. In addition, the student must not be incarcerated.
  
  

Unemployment

• Unemployed students are eligible for Pell Grants, much like their employed counterparts. In fact, many full-time college students are unemployed, and they rely on federal funds to pay for their tuition. However, if an unemployed student's family has the funds to pay for the student's tuition, he might not meet the financial eligibility requirements or EFC to earn the Pell Grant. Thus, unemployment does not prevent a student from receiving a Pell Grant, but it does not guarantee these funds either.
  
  

Application

• Unemployed students can apply for Pell Grants by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The FAFSA allows students to provide detailed information about their financial history -- including their current state of employment -- as well as their family's financial contribution. Students can submit a FAFSA on the web, and their school will evaluate the document to assess a student's eligibility. Although unemployment is not a determining factor in receiving a Pell Grant, it can factor into the overall EFC.