One of the great things about filling out the FAFSA is, you become eligible for all the federal aid that’s out there. Pell Grants are one form of aid that many people are surprised to find they’re eligible for. Pell Grants are awarded on a strict need basis. However, because of the way the aid formulas work, a middle-class family with several students in college at the same time may find themselves qualifying for Pell Grants. Grants are the best form of financial aid because they do not have to be repaid, so you absolutely want to be sure to make yourself eligible for any that are out there. For the 2015-2016 school year, the Pell Grant EFC cutoff for full-time students is $5,198. Remember that although EFC is calculated per family, need is calculated per student. So in a family with multiple students in college at the same time, the calculated EFC may be divided by a factor comparable to the number of students the family has to determine Pell Grant eligibility.