Spring Break
Pell Grant recipients may not receive promised funds
Issue date: 10/9/08
The annual report by the American Council of Education, which represents colleges and universities on education issues and public policy, states that more nontraditional students such as older learners are returning to college to improve their job skills during the economic decline, triggering an increase in demand for Pell Grants.
Ryan Novencido, a 30-year-old construction worker who dropped out of high school, is one such student.
"I don't make enough money with my current job. I probably couldn't have afforded my textbooks and tuition without my Pell Grant," he said.
Novencido now uses his grant to study computer science at Community College of Baltimore County.
"A rule of thumb is that if the economy is bad, college enrollments go up and vice versa," Frederick Community College Vice President for Planning, Marketing and Assessment Craig Clagett said.
Congress recently raised the value of the maximum Pell Grant from $4,241 to $4,310 due to the increased need in the main federal grant program for low-income college students.
"There are numerous things happening right now in the United States. Because more people are going to college and applying for financial aid, more people who qualify for Pell Grants are showing up on campuses," Skelly wrote.
The Department of Education calculates that the funding for Pell Grants for the 2009 fiscal year will reach $20.2 billion compared with $14.2-billion budget in 2008.
Initially, Congress allocated $14.2 billion for the federal grants for the current fiscal year. But because of the increase of incoming students and rising shortfalls of previous years, Congress must either add $6 billion in new funds for the next fiscal year or cut the size and appropriation of grants.
If Congress decides to add the $6 billion in new funds, it would increase the funding by 40 percent, the largest yearly increase in federal aid since its conception.
"Congress underestimated the increase of students who would need federal financial aid this year. There's more unmet than anyone predicted," Associative Executive Director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers Barmak Nassirian wrote in an e-mail.
Ryan Novencido, a 30-year-old construction worker who dropped out of high school, is one such student.
"I don't make enough money with my current job. I probably couldn't have afforded my textbooks and tuition without my Pell Grant," he said.
Novencido now uses his grant to study computer science at Community College of Baltimore County.
"A rule of thumb is that if the economy is bad, college enrollments go up and vice versa," Frederick Community College Vice President for Planning, Marketing and Assessment Craig Clagett said.
Congress recently raised the value of the maximum Pell Grant from $4,241 to $4,310 due to the increased need in the main federal grant program for low-income college students.
"There are numerous things happening right now in the United States. Because more people are going to college and applying for financial aid, more people who qualify for Pell Grants are showing up on campuses," Skelly wrote.
The Department of Education calculates that the funding for Pell Grants for the 2009 fiscal year will reach $20.2 billion compared with $14.2-billion budget in 2008.
Initially, Congress allocated $14.2 billion for the federal grants for the current fiscal year. But because of the increase of incoming students and rising shortfalls of previous years, Congress must either add $6 billion in new funds for the next fiscal year or cut the size and appropriation of grants.
If Congress decides to add the $6 billion in new funds, it would increase the funding by 40 percent, the largest yearly increase in federal aid since its conception.
"Congress underestimated the increase of students who would need federal financial aid this year. There's more unmet than anyone predicted," Associative Executive Director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers Barmak Nassirian wrote in an e-mail.
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