Swordsmyth
Member
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2016
- Messages
- 74,737
The Trump administration wants to lower the maximum Pell Grant by $1,685 for the 2026–27 academic year as the program faces an estimated $2.7 billion shortfall.
The proposed cut, detailed in budget documents released Friday evening, would drop the maximum Pell Grant to $5,710, reversing more than a decade of efforts to steadily boost the award, which helps low-income students attend college. The proposed budget keeps overall funding for the Pell Grant level compared with the current budget, adopted in fiscal year 2024.
But the cut to the maximum award is necessary, Trump officials wrote, to address “an untenable shortfall.” In addition to an increase in fraud, the administration blamed Congress for this problem. Over the years, Congress has steadily boosted the maximum award and expanded eligibility for the Pell Grant without putting more money into the program, which historically has run a surplus.
“This chronic mismanagement jeopardizes access to postsecondary education for students and families across the country,” officials wrote in the budget docs.
More at:
www.insidehighered.com
The proposed cut, detailed in budget documents released Friday evening, would drop the maximum Pell Grant to $5,710, reversing more than a decade of efforts to steadily boost the award, which helps low-income students attend college. The proposed budget keeps overall funding for the Pell Grant level compared with the current budget, adopted in fiscal year 2024.
But the cut to the maximum award is necessary, Trump officials wrote, to address “an untenable shortfall.” In addition to an increase in fraud, the administration blamed Congress for this problem. Over the years, Congress has steadily boosted the maximum award and expanded eligibility for the Pell Grant without putting more money into the program, which historically has run a surplus.
“This chronic mismanagement jeopardizes access to postsecondary education for students and families across the country,” officials wrote in the budget docs.
More at:
Code:
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/student-aid-policy/2025/06/02/trump-proposes-cut-max-pell-order-avert-shortfallTrump Proposes Cut to Max Pell in Order to Avert Shortfall
The administration’s proposed budget also defunds TRIO. Some programs are already losing funding, according to one association.
