Pell Grant

Pell Grant

The Pell Grant program is a type of post-secondary, educational federal grant program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. It is named after U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell and originally known as the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant program. Grants are awarded based on a "financial need" formula determined by the U.S. Congress using criteria submitted through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The Pell Grant is covered by legislation titled the Higher Education Act of 1965, Title IV, Part A, Subpart 1; 20 U.S.C. 1070a.

Because of the high levels of need required to obtain a Pell grant, receipt of them is often used by researchers as a proxy for low-income student attendance and to indicate the economic diversity of the student body.

Amount of Grant

Federal budget legislation passed in early 2006 cut the federal financial aid budget by $12.5 billion. While the maximum Pell Grant legislative limit was raised to $5,800 through 2011, maximum Pell grant awards were not funded at this level. The maximum award available to students has been frozen at $4,050 since 2003-04.

For 2006-07, the maximum Pell grant available to students remains $4,050. Students with less need will receive smaller amounts. Grant moneys can be used for tuition, fees, and educational expenses (such as textbooks or required materials for a class).

For the award year of 2007-2008 the maximum Pell Grant Award is $4,310. The maximum award for the 2008-09 award year (July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009) is $4,731. The maximum can change each award year and depends on program funding. The maximum grant is to increase to $5,400 by 2012.

Due to high increases in the cost of post-secondary education and slow or no growth in the Pell grant program, the value of Pell grants has eroded significantly over time. In 2005-06, the maximum Pell grant covered one-third of the yearly cost of higher education at a public four-year institution; twenty years ago, it covered 60% of a student's cost of attendance.

Criticism

Pell has been criticized for using a student's personal and financial information that is submitted on the Student Aid Report (SAR) even though the student never actually used any Pell funds. If a student submitted a SAR before a semester began, then paid tuition with other funds, and did not use any Pell Grant, then technically none of the private information contained in the SAR has any relevance to any course or grade taken or earned by that student to Pell at all. Pell is entirely uninvolved in that student's educational pursuits, and Pell has no input into that student's education or post-graduation career.

It is similar to the old census fears, that personal information could be misused by the agency conducting the census. Pell denies that any misuse actually occurs due to questions asked on the SARs.

A common pitfall of the Pell grant's methodology is that adults are often not eligible if they worked full time and made money before starting school.

External links

* [http://www.ed.gov/programs/fpg/index.html Department of Education - Pell Grant Program]
* [http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/PellGrants.jsp?tab=funding "Federal Pell Grants" at Student Aid on the Web]
* [http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ FAFSA on the Web]
* [http://www.disabilitybenefits101.org/ca/programs/income_support/student_aid/pell/faqs.htm#_q1504 Pell grants frequently asked questions]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Pell Grant — A program that awards money to eligible undergraduate and, in certain situations, post baccalaureate students. Unlike other Federal financial aid, the The Federal Pell Grant Program does not need to be repaid. Pell Grants are needs based grants… …   Investment dictionary

  • Pell Grant — Das Pell Grant Programm ist ein staatliches Ausbildungsförderungsprogramm des U.S. Department of Education. Es soll als bedürftig eingestuften Studienbewerbern ein (für gewöhnlich in den USA sehr teures) Studium ermöglichen. Es wurde nach dem US… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pell (disambiguation) — Pell may refer to: * Pell, a surname * Pell s World, a fictional planet in American science fiction and fantasy author C. J. Cherryh s Alliance Union universe * Pell s equation, a mathematical equation, specifically a kind of Diophantine equation …   Wikipedia

  • Pell Wall Hall — is a neo classical country house on the outskirts of Market Drayton in Shropshire. It was the last completed domestic house designed by Sir John Soane and was constructed 1822 1829 for Purney Sillitoe for a total cost of £20,976. [… …   Wikipedia

  • Claiborne Pell — Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1995 Preceded by Richard Lugar Succeeded by …   Wikipedia

  • National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant) — The National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant is a need based federal grant that is awarded to undergraduate students in their third and fourth year of undergraduate studies. The National SMART grant was introduced to …   Wikipedia

  • Claiborne Pell — Claiborne de Borda Pell (* 22. November 1918 in New York City; † 1. Januar 2009 in Newport, Rhode Island) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker, der den Bundesstaat Rhode Island im US Senat vertrat …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant - FSEOG — A program that provides funds for undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional financial need. The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant is similar to the Federal Pell Grant Program, in that funds awarded do not need to be… …   Investment dictionary

  • ACG Grant — The Academic Competitiveness Grant, more commonly known by its acronym ACG Grant, is a federal assistance grant reserved for college students with the greatest need for financial aid to attend school. To be eligible for this grant you must meet… …   Wikipedia

  • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant — The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, more commonly known by its acronym FSEOG, is a federal assistance grant reserved for college students with the greatest need for financial aid to attend school. To be eligible for this grant …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”