Who Gets the Pell Grant

Pell Grants are the federal government's largest direct grant to students with low family incomes. So it's no surprise that when Congress and administrations debate priorities for higher ed spending, the Pell Grant always is a hot topic. Does the program have enough money? Should it be an entitlement? Should it be protected from requirements that don't focus on financial need?

A report released Tuesday by the National Center for Education Statistics details what is known about Pell Grant recipients by taking a close look at data from 1999-2000 bachelor's degree recipients, a group in which about 36 percent of people received at least one Pell Grant while in college. Generally, the report found that Pell Grant recipients are more likely than others to have "risk" characteristics (such as delaying postsecondary enrollment after high school graduation) that suggest statistically greater chances of dropping out of college.

A new bill has just adjusted the amount of money that pell grant recipients will receive. The bill would increase the maximum annual Pell Grant scholarship from $4,731 last school year to $5,500 in 2010-11 and $6,900 in 2019. Starting in 2011, the annual grant would be linked to cost-of-living increases.

Though the Governement has increased the amount of LOAN $$ available...you do not need their LOAN to attend college IF you Plan Effectively.

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