I NEVER said the student was dependent or independent - that isn’t for me to say. OP knows when they were born and is perfectly capable of figuring that out. While entitlement to Pell is, as you claim, “automatically awarded” - a student has to qualify. The school has to confirm the student qualifies before disbursing the award, so while it may be an “automatic” entitlement based on FAFSA data for income, there is verification that happens. There are also certain events, like drug convictions, GPA, selective service registration, etc that may negate someone’s eligibility even if the qualify based on income, so again, not “automatic”.
Not everyone is eligible for Federal funds and it isn’t as simple as just filing a FAFSA, please see Federal Student Aid for clarification on your claim. Also, these loans do have caps for totals for the sub and unsub portion.
My mother has worked in a college financial aid office for years so I’m very familiar with the process for awards.