And, for the Pell Grant awardees, the average aid amount is $4,544. Among other things, the annual family income of the applicant plays a major role in determining the total financial aid they are actually eligible to receive. In addition to financial grants and scholarship schemes, students can also avail of monetary benefits like student loans to pay for their education. However, student loans attract a certain rate of interest at which the funds are borrowed. While grants and scholarship schemes do not require repayment, student loans should be repaid by the applicants within a given period.