Thinking & AdvocacyOn Thursday, March 25, Achieving the Dream joined nearly 1,200 signatories to call on Congress to increase affordable access to higher education by doubling the maximum Pell Grant.
Long overdue, this investment would drive economic recovery, increase educational attainment, and serve to address systemic barriers to success for minoritized students across the country.
“Achieving the Dream leads a network of more than 300 community college across the country, working to increase access and success for their students with equity at the center of their work,” said Dr. Karen A. Stout, president and CEO of Achieving the Dream. “Doubling the maximum Pell Grant will support postsecondary access and affordability, expanding opportunity for America’s learners and supporting economic recovery in our communities.”
Each year, millions of students from every state and community in the country rely on the Pell Grant program to pursue higher education. Pell Grants are particularly important for students of color: nearly 60 percent of Black students, half of American Indian or Alaska Native students, and nearly half of Latinx of students attending a college or university receive a Pell Grant each year.
But while the Pell Grant program has been critical to bring higher education within reach for millions of America’s learners, too many students are still being left behind. As tuition costs rise, Pell Grants increasingly cover smaller portions of college costs. Pell recipients today are more than twice as likely as other students to graduate with student loans.
Doubling the maximum Pell Grant will lower significant financial barriers for low- and moderate-income students and help bring a high-quality education within reach for all students.
Read the full letter. (PDF)