▁government ▁depart ments , ▁colleg es , ▁univers ities ▁or ▁public ▁and ▁private ▁trust s . ▁Grant ▁el ig ibility ▁is ▁typically ▁determined ▁by ▁financial ▁need . ▁The ▁application ▁process ▁is ▁set ▁by ▁the ▁ag ency ▁providing ▁the ▁funds ▁and ▁often ▁re lies ▁on ▁data ▁submitted ▁via ▁the ▁F AF SA . ▁ ▁While ▁the ▁terms ▁grant ▁and ▁scholar ship ▁are ▁frequently ▁used ▁inter change ably , ▁there ▁is ▁a ▁difference . ▁Sch olar ships ▁may ▁have ▁a ▁financial ▁need ▁component ▁but ▁rely ▁on ▁other ▁criteria ▁as ▁well . ▁Some ▁private ▁need - based ▁awards ▁are ▁confusing ly ▁called ▁scholar ships , ▁and ▁require ▁the ▁results ▁of ▁a ▁F AF SA ▁( the ▁family ' s ▁E FC ). ▁However , ▁scholar ships ▁are ▁often ▁mer it - based , ▁while ▁gr ants ▁tend ▁to ▁be ▁need - based . ▁ ▁Some ▁examples ▁of ▁gr ants ▁commonly ▁applied ▁for ▁in ▁the ▁U . S .: ▁▁ ▁Federal ▁P ell ▁Grant , ▁the ▁largest ▁of ▁the ▁federal ▁grant ▁options ▁and ▁based ▁exclus ively ▁on ▁an ▁individual ' s ▁Ex pected ▁Family ▁Cont ribution ) ▁as ▁calculated ▁using ▁the ▁F AF SA ▁data . ▁ ▁Federal ▁Supp lement al ▁Edu c ational ▁O pport unity ▁Grant ▁( F SE O G ), ▁federal ▁grant ▁program ▁that ▁is ▁need - based , ▁but ▁directed ▁towards ▁students ▁whose ▁F AF SA ▁results ▁exhib it ▁exception al ▁financial ▁need , ▁such ▁as ▁being ▁among ▁the ▁lowest ▁Ex pected ▁Family ▁Cont ribution ▁( E FC ). ▁ ▁The ▁Te