The FAFSA Change Behind Colleges’ Pell Progress
Liam Knox
October 29, 2024
Colleges are touting big boosts in Pell recipients this fall, made possible by the new FAFSA’s revised eligibility requirements. Does that mean they have more low-income students?
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.
