Community College of Rhode IslandPell Grant changes mean less money for some students
More than half of all RI students will lose some aid
Changes recently announced by the Bush administration to the criteria for Pell Grant recipients could impact the ability of thousands of CCRI students to fund their college education.
About 4,400 CCRI students are currently recipients of Pell money; the college has processed $7,948,098 in Pell awards alone so far in this fiscal year, with summer awards still to be determined.
A student's eligibility for Pell Grant money is determined by a number of criteria, including family income and the number of other family members attending college. The revised formula requires that a student's family contributes a larger amount of money before that student can be eligible for Pell Grant funds.
Though the revamping of criteria will not totally exclude CCRI students from the awards and is likely to increase funding for a few – many may have to borrow money to supplement what they might otherwise have received.
The federal grants, named after former Sen. Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.) who championed their creation in 1972, currently provide aid to about 20,000 Rhode Island students; the average award amount is $2,325.
Sixty percent of current Rhode Island recipients will lose some aid, though it is not yet clear how many will be disqualified entirely.
Nationwide, numbers are equally dismal: 90,000 students will lose their aid completely, while an additional estimated 1.3 million will have their Pell awards reduced.
In an era of steadily rising costs for higher education, the loss of these funds may mean that some students will not be able to afford to continue their education.
"CCRI is the gateway to higher education and with its low tuition is available to many. The changes in the Pell grants will close that door to the students who most need the upward mobility a CCRI degree will provide," President Tom Sepe said. "The broader impact will be on the reduction of a skilled workforce for our economy, which will affect everyone."
[Heard on Campus...student opinion]
