FEDERAL SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY GRANT (FSEOG) PROGRAM - Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The FSEOG Program provides need-based grants to low-income undergraduate students to promote access to postsecondary education. Students can receive these grants at any one of approximately 4,000 participating postsecondary institutions. Institutional financial aid administrators at participating institutions have substantial flexibility in determining the amount of FSEOG awards to provide students who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment. Priority is given to those students with "exceptional need" (those with the lowest expected family contributions, [EFCs], at the institution) and those who are also Federal Pell Grant (see # 84.063, also under topical heading "Federal Student Aid") recipients.

Financial need is determined by the U.S. Department of Education, using a standard formula, established by Congress, to evaluate the financial information reported on the FAFSA and to determine the family's EFC. The fundamental elements in this standard formula are the student's income (and assets, if the student is independent), the parents' income and assets (if the student is dependent), the family's household size, and the number of family members (excluding parents) attending postsecondary institutions. The EFC is the sum of: (1) a percentage of net income (remaining income after subtracting allowances for basic living expenses) and (2) a percentage of net assets (assets remaining after subtracting an asset protection allowance). Different assessment rates and allowances are used for dependent students, independent students without dependents, and independent students with dependents. After filing a FAFSA, the student receives a Student Aid Report (SAR), or the school receives an Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR), which provides the EFC.

FSA Handbook: Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants

FSEOG allocations are made to eligible institutions for the purpose of providing grants to needy undergraduate students attending the institution. Institutional allocations are based on institutional requests for program funding under a statutory formula. Under the funding formula, funds are distributed to institutions, first, on the basis of the institution's base guarantee plus the pro rata share received during the 1999–2000 award year under the FSEOG Program and, then, on the basis of the aggregate need of the eligible undergraduate students in attendance. Institutions must contribute 25 percent of the funding. Students receive FSEOG awards from participating institutions after filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine their financial need.