The Pell Grant Started in Rhode Island 50 Years Ago. Will It Outlive the US Department of Education?

When Claiborne Pell returned from serving in the Coast Guard in World War II, he watched other veterans get a boost into the middle class thanks to the GI Bill, which paid for college degrees for those who came back from war. Pell, himself a wealthy Newport patrician, thought everyone – not just former service members – should be able to reap the benefits of higher education. After becoming a US Senator for Rhode Island, he authored a federal law passed in 1972, offering college aid to all Americans based on family income with a key provision: it didn’t need to be paid back.