The first thing that you have to do is fill out the free application for student aid, or FAFSA. This application is available for free online, or if you need help filling it out your financial aid counselor can help you. Basically, it just takes all of your income and your parents' income into account and decides how much it thinks you should be able to contribute to paying for college. This amount is called your estimated family contribution, or EFC. The lower your EFC, the more likely you are to receive aid. Obviously, there are some downsides to this system. It doesn't take your budget or expenses into account at all, and you have to put your parents' income even if you don't see or talk to them. As long as they aren't dead or incarcerated, you have to list your parent's income.

Your estimated family contribution will go a long way in deciding how much assistance you qualify for, so make sure that you fill out the form completely and honestly. It is extremely common especially for low income students that they require you to verify the income that you reported on the FAFSA. If they think that you gave false information intentionally, they can pull all of the financial aid that you already have; so make sure to be honest.

The next qualification for low income grants is that you have the below the Federal poverty level. Basically, the idea of it is that you earn $10,000 or less annually per person in the household. So if there are two people in your household, and you make less than $20,000 a year between the two of you, you qualify. This isn't necessary to qualify for all a Federal low income grants, but it will qualify you for some specific grants that you cannot get any other way.

The last thing you have to keep in mind is that regardless of your income, there are strict academic and attendance standards if you receive a low income grant. It does no good to go through all the work of getting these grants if you're going to skip class too much and slack off in the first place, so make sure that whatever the guidelines for your grant are that you stay well within them.

The other great thing about low income grants is that they're almost all renewable. This means that as long as you still meet the requirements, it will automatically be renewed each additional year of school that you attend.