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Despite $400 Boost, Pell Grants Fall Far Short of Original Goal to Make College More Affordable for Low- and Middle-Income Students - Opinion

April 28, 2022

Donald E. Heller, provost and vice president of academic affairs at the University of San Francisco (CA), writes: Back around when the Pell Grant was created by Congress in 1973 to help students from low-income families pay for higher education, it covered 80% of the costs of attending a public four-year college or university. And it covered over 40% of the costs of going to a private one. Today, thanks to increases in tuition costs and Pell Grants not keeping pace, they cover less than 30% of the costs at a public university and less than 20% of the costs at private institutions, according an analysis I conducted using College Board data.

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