<p>ohmadre, any need-based financial aid plan would include Pell grant money if the student were eligible. No college gives its own instutional money in lieu of Pell - though of course many give additional money on top of Pell. In other words, finaid looks like this:</p>
<p>subsidized loan + pell grant + work study + institutional grant=cost of attendance - EFC</p>
<p>I think Princeton no longer requires loans, but the Pell grant would still be part of the equation for any student eligible. </p>
<p>There might be a difference at a college that offers merit aid - such a as a full-ride scholarship - in that case the college aid would theoretically obviate the need for a Pell grant. But that wouldn’t apply to Harvard or Princeton.</p>