106 Organizations Urge Congress to Avoid Pell Grant Cuts
Credit: Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc / Getty Images- Over 100 higher education advocacy groups penned a letter to high-ranking U.S. lawmakers regarding potential Pell Grant cuts.
- A projected $2.7 billion shortfall in Pell funding could impact the program beginning in the 2026-27 academic year.
- Advocates hope Congress will increase funding for the program.
- Otherwise, lawmakers would likely have to change Pell eligibility to reduce spending.
Over 100 advocacy groups penned a letter to high-ranking U.S. lawmakers, urging them to avoid any cuts or eligibility changes to the Pell Grant program.
The Pell Grant program, the federal government’s primary grant program for low-income college students, is projected to have a $2.7 billion shortfall by 2026.
This deficit and projected budget pruning under President Donald Trump’s administration have left many advocacy groups representing students and institutions worried that Pell program cuts could be incoming.
“Students cannot afford such cuts during a time of rising living costs, and our economy cannot afford to have students lose access to the education and training they need to succeed in the labor market,” the letter read.
The letter is addressed to the chairs and ranking members of various committees that could decide the future of the Pell Grant program, including:
- Senate Committee on Appropriations
- Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
- House Committee on Appropriations
- House Committee on Education and Workforce
Advocates urged Congress to maintain the maximum award amount in budget negotiations. Additionally, the letter calls on lawmakers to inject more funding into the program rather than change eligibility requirements.
The maximum Pell Grant award is $7,395 for the 2025-26 academic year. The minimum award is $740.
“We ask that Congress add new discretionary and mandatory funds to the program to close any shortfall and avoid eligibility cuts,” advocates wrote in the letter. “We strongly urge you to invest in our nation’s students and our economic future by fully funding the Pell Grant program and rejecting any proposed cuts to the program.”
Some of the prominent co-signers of the letter include:
- California State University
- EdTrust
- Generation Hope
- Institute for Higher Education Policy
- NAACP
- National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs
- National College Attainment Network
- National Consumer Law Center
- New America
- State Higher Education Executive Officers Association
- Student Borrower Protection Center
- The Century Foundation
- The Institute for College Access & Success
- Third Way
- United Negro College Fund
- UnidosUS
- Young Invincibles
Last time the U.S. faced a sizable Pell Grant shortfall in 2011, Congress eliminated year-round Pell Grants, which meant students could no longer utilize grants over the summer. Congress also reduced the lifetime limit on Pell eligibility from 18 to 12 total semesters.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget outlined potential eligibility changes to cut down on Pell spending, including:
- Only awarding Pell Grants to students who qualify for the maximum award
- Limiting awards to students attending “low-performing institutions”
- Limiting grant renewals for “low-performing students”
- Mandating that only students taking at least 15 credit hours per semester qualify for a Pell Grant
- Implementing tighter means testing for awards