The FAFSA Change Behind Colleges’ Pell Progress

After a year of dour predictions that the botched rollout of the new federal aid form would drive low-income students away from college, higher ed institutions this fall are proudly highlighting significant increases in the number of Pell-eligible students in the Class of 2028. Georgetown University boasted that its first-year class includes the “highest number of Pell-eligible students in more than a decade.” The University of Georgia celebrated a 22 percent year-over-year increase in first-year students receiving Pell Grants and $9 million additional federal dollars in students’ pockets. Temple University noted a 38 percent surge in Pell students from last year, bringing its population of grant recipients to a historic high. But at this point, it’s hard to tell how much of that growth has to do with institutional strategy.