Federal Pell Grant awards for summer session may be cut

Students attending the 2013 summer session will see their federal Pell Grants dry up if President Barack Obama’s budget proposal passes in Congress.

Pell Grants are reserved for students with the most financial need. At UCLA, 39 percent of undergraduates received the grants for the 2010-2011 academic year.

The federal government currently awards eligible students Pell Grants twice a year. Students can receive one during the regular school year and another, smaller grant if they attend summer session, said Nancy Coolidge, government relations coordinator at the UC Office of the President.

Under the proposed budget, students would not be able to apply for a second grant during the same calendar year.

If this happens, low-income students will find it harder to go to school year-round, Coolidge said.

Summer school is a popular option for many students who hope to graduate early, she said. And with fewer summer jobs available in the current economic climate, school is an attractive alternative.

The high percentage of Pell Grant students at UCLA would cause the cuts to be especially deep, Coolidge said. Summer Pell Grants set low-income students on the same footing as middle- or high-income students when it comes to paying for summer classes.

Coolidge said UCOP opposed the proposed cut. There are alternative programs the federal government could trim that would not have as much of an effect on low-income students, she said.

While cutting the summer session Pell Grants is not desirable, it is better than reducing the size of the grant offered in the regular school year, said Ronald Johnson, director of UCLA financial aid. This is something that has been proposed in the House of Representatives.

“(President Obama) is still trying to maintain the maximum Pell Grant. He’s prioritizing students attending and being funded during the school year,” Johnson said.

Carolyn Henrich, the legislative director of education at UCOP, said students should bear in mind that these are only proposed cuts to financial aid and they still need to pass through Congress to take effect.

Daniel Richman, a third-year political science student who is considering applying for a Pell Grant, said he was unhappy to see the government make any cuts to financial aid.

Richman said the government should support students with financial aid because the United States needs an educated workforce.

“(Cutting financial aid) is pulling the carpet out from underneath our economy,” he said.

However, Jessica Yen, a first-year business and economics student, said she believes the cut to summer grants is fair. She said because summer session is not required, students mainly use it to get ahead.

“People could take a larger course load during the year instead,” she added.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *