WTOK - Home - Headlines

New Pell Grant Restrictions Lead to Lower Enrollment

By: The Associated Press
Updated: Thu 11:30 AM, Jan 10, 2013

New federal regulations approved last year have stripped Pell Grant eligibility from nearly 3,000 Mississippi students. Students in other states were also affected.

According to a recently completed study of the impact of the new Pell Grant regulations on Mississippi two-year colleges, the changes led to lower enrollments for the fall 2012 semester at 14 of the state's 15 community colleges.

Without a strong statewide college tuition program, University of Alabama Education Policy Center Director Stephen Katsinas says the Pell Grant program serves as the de facto student aid program, making Pell a key economic development driver for the state's future work force.

The changes lowered the eligible student income and lowered the number of semesters a student may receive Pell Grants to 12.

In addition to the 2,960 students who lost eligibility for Pell Grants last fall, Kastinas says another 7,154 will lose eligibility in the next several semesters because of new requirements.


Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.
powered by Disqus
Weather for Meridian, Mississippi
69° F
Clear
Fri
79 60
Sat
80 50
Sun
85 55
Mon
86 59

Most Commented

powered by Disqus
WTOK-TV 815 23rd Ave Meridian, Ms. 39301 Phone: (601) 693-1441
Gray Television, Inc. - Copyright © 2002-2013 - Designed by Gray Digital Media - Powered by Clickability
User Agent: CCBot/2.0 - 186324462