GOP Budget Bill: Crushing College Access for the Working Class
In short, the Pell Grant program now mandates 15 credit hours for full-time status, eliminating aid for those studying less than half-time. This change, impacting approximately 20% of current recipients, necessitates an additional course per semester for most students to maximize aid and results in a significant financial reduction for those unable to increase their course load. While projected to save the government $67 billion over ten years, this comes amidst a $3.1 trillion deficit increase, disproportionately affecting low-income students balancing work and family responsibilities. The changes exacerbate the grant’s already diminished value due to inflation and rising tuition costs.
John Q. Hosedrinker