Federal Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant

Who can get an Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant?

You may be eligible to receive the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant if:

• you are not eligible for a Federal Pell Grant on the basis of your Expected Family Contribution but meet the remaining Federal Pell Grant eligibility requirements, and
• your parent or guardian was a member of the U.S. armed forces and died as a result of military service performed in Iraq or Afghanistan after the events of 9/11, and
• you were under 24 years old or enrolled in college at least part-time at the time of your parent's or guardian's death.

How much money can I get?

The grant award is equal to the amount of a maximum Federal Pell Grant for the award year but cannot exceed your cost of attendance for that award year. For the 2014–15 award year (July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015), the maximum Federal Pell Grant award is $5,730.

Due to sequestration, award amounts for any Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant that is first disbursed on or after Oct. 1, 2013, and before Oct. 1, 2014, must be reduced by 7.2 percent from the award amount for which a recipient would otherwise have been entitled. Any Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant that is first disbursed on or after Oct. 1, 2014, and before Oct. 1, 2015, must be reduced by 7.3 percent. For example:

• For any 2014–15 Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant first disbursed on or after Oct. 1, 2013, and before Oct. 1, 2014, the maximum award of $5,730 is reduced by 7.2 percent ($412.56), resulting in a maximum award of $5,317.44.
• For any 2014–15 Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant first disbursed on or after Oct. 1, 2014, and before Oct. 1, 2015, the maximum award amount of $5,730 is reduced by 7.3 percent ($418.29), resulting in a maximum award of $5,311.71.

How will I get paid?

The payment procedures are the same as those for the Federal Pell Grant.

Update

An Iraq-Afghanistan Service Grant where the first disbursement is on or after October 1, 2016 and before October 1, 2017 requires a reduction of 6.9 percent from the award amount for which the student would otherwise have been eligible (i.e., the maximum Federal Pell Grant award amount for the relevant award year).

The following chart shows the FY 2016 and FY 2017 sequester required Iraq-Afghanistan Service Grant Program reductions as they apply to the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 award years.

Award YearImpacted AwardsStatutory Award AmountReduction from Statutory Award AmountDollar Reduction AmountAdjusted Award Amount

2015-2016	First disbursed prior to October 1, 2015 (FY 2015 Sequester)	$5,775	7.30%	$421.57	$5,353.43
	First disbursed on or after October 1, 2015 and before October 1, 2016 (FY 2016 Sequester)	$5,775	6.80%	$392.70	$5,382.30
2016-2017	First disbursed on or after October 1, 2015 and before October 1, 2016 (FY 2016 Sequester)	$5,815	6.80%	$395.42	$5,419.58
	First disbursed on or after October 1, 2016 and before October 1, 2017(FY 2017 Sequester)	$5,815	6.90%	$401.23	$5,413.77

Institutions with systems that require award amounts to be in whole dollars must ensure that a student’s total award amount is rounded down to the next lowest dollar.

Revised: 6/6/2016