How Do Pell Grants Work? Students may wonder how do Pell grants work to get money for college. The answer is pretty simple. A Pell grant consists of money given to the student to help pay for college expenses. And because it’s a grant, the money does not have to be paid back, unless the student drops out of school during the time period the grant covers. The Pell grant program is run by the federal government and there are … Continue reading →