Back around when the Pell Grant was created by Congress in 1973 to help students from low-income families pay for higher education, it covered 80% of the costs of attending a public four-year college or university. And it covered over 40% of the costs of going to a private one. Today, thanks to increases in tuition costs and Pell Grants not […] … learn more→
Tag Archives: Pell Grants
Despite $400 boost, Pell Grants fall far short of original goal to make college more affordable for low- and middle-income students
Federal financial aid for college will be easier to apply for – and a bit more generous
How is applying for federal student financial aid about to change? The good news is the FAFSA will go from having 108 questions to 36 questions, and most students will only have to answer a smaller set of questions about family income and household size. The not-so-good news is that this simplified form will not […] … learn more→
Congress lifts long-standing ban on Pell grants to people in prison
When Congress decided in 1994 to ban federal student aid for people behind bars, it was part of a wider political agenda to “get tough on crime” – even though crime rates had begun to fall in the 1990s. The number of people behind bars grew, but, without access to federal student aid, higher education programs in America’s correctional facilities dwindled. […] … learn more→
Federal Pell Grants help pay for college – but are they enough to help students finish?
Pell Grants are one way the federal government helps people pay for college. During the 2020 to 2021 school year, eligible students can receive up to US$6,345 through the program, depending on where they go to school, how many classes they take and how much money their family makes. Despite this assistance, students who receive Pell Grants […] … learn more→
Want college to be affordable? Start with Pell Grants
In her speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton talked about free college and student debt relief. Convention speeches are not normally known for providing details of policy proposals, and keeping with tradition, Clinton offered few details of her own. Now that we are past the conventions and into the campaign, presidential nominees Hillary […] … learn more→
Pell Grants for prisoners: Good for them, and for everyone else
The U.S. Department of Education’s announcement last week of a pilot program that will allow Pell Grant eligibility for some incarcerated students signaled a welcome change in the way education is viewed in correctional facilities across the nation. The step was a tangible way to break the cycle of crime and incarceration that too often […] … learn more→
Pell Grants for prisoners: A good idea returns
It is often said that prison is where criminals go to learn how to be better criminals. In the absence of other educational opportunities, that’s not terribly surprising. But what if they could use that time to gain valuable skills and credentials that would help them get jobs when they leave prison? In fact, there […] … learn more→
Did Republicans just cut the Pell grant?
If a budgeting gimmick worked once, you can count on lawmakers to try it again the following year. Witness what is happening to the Pell Grant program in the pending 2016 House appropriations bill. House Republicans are doing what Senate Democrats did last year to the Pell Grant program. They would cut the appropriation by […] … learn more→
MSM misunderstands the Pell Grant scam
In times past, getting into an institution of higher education was no freebie—there were entrance exams, standardized tests to take, possibly even community service the would-be student must perform before, possibly, getting an acceptance letter (for the young reading this, an “acceptance letter” is an antiquated concept, where the university would send the would-be student […] … learn more→
