The House of Representatives is leaving funding for the Federal Pell Grant the same as last year and keeping the maximum award at $7,395. Pell grants help about seven million students each year, almost a third of all college students.
Around 55% of Florida International University undergraduate students receive Pell Grants, and 50% receive the maximum amount, like FIU student Cassie Martinez.
“I probably wouldn’t have even started college if it weren’t for the Federal Pell Grant,” says Martinez. “I’m here in D.C. doing a journalism program, and obviously, there are tons of expenses like room and board.”
The proposed cuts included lowering the maximum amount to about $5,700. Additionally, the Pell Grant hasn’t increased in value for the past four years, remaining unchanged despite inflation and rising college costs.
FIU President Jeanette Núñez, who was in Washington, says the program is vital for FIU students.
“Is a topic that our FIU and DC office have been monitoring very closely,” says Núñez. “We had had meetings throughout the last several months, making sure the members of Congress understood the impact that we would have on many of our students.”
The legislation still has to be considered in the Senate. If everything is approved, students should expect changes to Federal Pell Grants starting on July 1, including stricter eligibility requirements and additional funding for short-term vocational programs, which some lawmakers want to be called “Trump Grants.”
