Magaziner Calls to Double Pell Grant in Fiscal Year 2025 to Help Make College Affordable for Students
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner (RI-02) and Maxine Waters (CA-43), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, led 124 members of Congress in a letter urging the House Appropriations Committee to double the Pell Grant to $13,000 for Fiscal Year 2025.
Rep. Magaziner and his colleagues also asked that appropriators preserve the Pell Grant program in future years by indexing the maximum award amount to inflation and ensuring that funding for the program is fully mandatory.
“Students who have the grades and the desire to pursue higher education should not be denied just because their families do not have enough money,” said Rep. Seth Magaziner (RI-02). “Pell Grants have made the dream of a college education a reality for millions of students who otherwise would have been unable to afford it, but unfortunately this funding has not kept up with the rising cost of tuition. We must double down on this successful program and ensure that the next generation, regardless of their family’s income, is able to achieve their dreams and access the education they deserve.”
For 52 years, Federal Pell Grants – named after former Rhode Island Senator Claiborne Pellwho championed the program – have helped create a pathway for millions of low- and middle-income students to attain higher education. Pell Grants are the largest source of grants for postsecondary education, but today they cover less than one-third of the average cost of attendance at a public four-year university, the lowest share of tuition in the program’s history. Increased tuition costs, as well expenses like textbooks, housing, food, and transportation, have drastically diminished the Pell Grant’s purchasing power.
Rep. Magaziner has been a leader on this issue, leading 104 colleagues in a letter last year to double the Pell Grant to $13,000, which on average would cut student debt at least in half for eligible recipients, helping an estimated 25.2 million students per year. The FY24 appropriations law increased the maximum Pell Grant award to $7,395 for the 2023-24 award year – the largest increase in 10 years – yet there is more work to be done to ensure college is affordable for the lowest-income students.
Full text of the letter is below. A PDF copy of the letter is available here.
Dear Chairman Aderholt and Ranking Member DeLauro:
As you begin work on this year’s Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, we ask that you provide robust funding for the Federal Pell Grant Program in Fiscal Year 2025 in order to facilitate increasing the maximum individual award to $13,000. We also ask that appropriators secure the long-term affordability impact of the Pell Grant program for years to come by indexing the maximum award amount to inflation and ensuring that funding for the program is fully mandatory, rather than discretionary. These policy changes will ensure that the financial support the Pell Grant program provides to students as they pursue higher education will be insulated from market changes or budget shortfalls.
While the Committee has made significant strides to increase the maximum grant, the 2024-2025 award year still falls short of what is needed to make college affordable to the lowest-income students. Congress must increase the annual Pell Grant to $13,000, which on average would cut student debt at least in half for eligible recipients, helping an estimated 25.2 million students per year. Increased tuition costs, as well expenses like textbooks, housing, food, and transportation, have drastically diminished Pell’s purchasing power. This places greater strain on the students and families that the program was designed to help. Increasing the maximum Pell Grant will significantly improve the award’s purchasing power, thus ensuring it will truly benefit the students and families that need it most.
For 52 years, Pell Grants have provided much needed financial assistance to low-income families, unlocking higher education opportunities for millions of students. Because these grants are awarded solely based upon a student’s financial need and do not have to be repaid, they are often the only vehicle available to low- and moderate-income students to pay for a college education. Strengthening the program will not only make college more affordable, but it will also improve outcomes by providing grant recipients more opportunity to focus on school, helping them cover their basic needs, and eliminating barriers to completion. Helping low- and moderate-income students obtain a college degree will promote equity and strengthen our communities, workforces, and nation. This investment will reinforce our national commitment to promoting opportunity to obtain a college education regardless of family income.
Thank you again for your attention to this critical issue. We look forward to working with you on ways to expand access to a quality higher education.
Sincerely,