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Friday, March 29, 2024
NEWS  |  CAMPUS

Students in South see biggest changes to Pell Grant, study says

Elisa Zeron understands how difficult it is to pay for college.

“I couldn’t imagine paying for college without the Pell Grant,” said the 19-year-old Santa Fe College student. “I know it can be done. It would just be hard.”

Zeron is just one of about 10 million students who receive the grant.

A study conducted last week by the University of Alabama’s Education Policy Center found that community colleges in the South are being hurt the most by changes to the Pell Grant.

However, SFC doesn’t necessarily see the changes as negative.

The Pell Grant is federally funded and awarded to certain college students depending on their financial needs. When a student fills out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, it determines his or her eligibility.

One of the changes to the grant, which took effect this school year, is the length of time students can use the funding.

Instead of a nine-year limit, students are now only allowed six years to use their grant.

Matt Stubbington, associate director of financial aid at SFC, said the biggest change affecting SFC students is the time limit for the grant.

“Last year, we had to inform about 400 students that they would no longer be eligible for the grant,” he said.

Although the changes to the grant may attempt to save money, it’s also a way to motivate students to try harder in school and finish in a timely manner, Stubbington said.

“The goal of the department of education is to get students to matriculate and graduate with a degree,” he said. “They’re encouraging students to get out into the workforce.”

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Although nine years may seem like a long time to complete an undergraduate degree, Zeron said she sees how it could take that long.

“Some students just don’t know what they want to do when they come to college,” she said. “Sometimes those students might need nine years to figure it out.”

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