Are Federal Pell Grants Being Cut

February 22, 2011

Q: As a current college student I benefit from the Federal Pell Grant Program. I have been seeing some news that suggest the Pell Grants will soon be cut or done away with completely. Are federal Pell Grants no longer available as of next school year?

A: The U.S. House of Representatives has passed their short-term budget extension, which does include cuts to The Federal Pell Grant Program. However, Congress has not yet approved the 2012 budget, which means currently there have been no official cuts to the Pell Grant Program.

If the proposed spending bill passes unchanged, the cuts to the Federal Pell Grant Program would become effective this coming school year. The proposed cuts could reduce the maximum award by a little more than 15% from the current maximum of $5,550. The Pell Grant cuts would mostly affect undergraduate students with year-round Pell Grants (including summer school), however it could also mean a number of students would lose their eligibility for the Pell Grant completely.

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