Report: More Georgia Students Eligible for College Aid
A new report from Campaign for America’s Future reveals 8,722 more Georgia students would receive Pell Grants if excessive lender subsidies are cut. Such a change would provide an average Pell Grant of $3,010 to 181,580 students across Georgia.
The bad news is that the average cost of tuition in a public college in Georgia increased 19 percent from 2000 to 2007 and 6 percent in just the last year. The good news is President Obama’s budget calls for a cut in lender subsidies in order to make the financial aid system more effective.
“Family incomes and college grants haven’t kept pace with soaring tuition costs,” Robert Borosage, co-director of Campaign for America’s Future, said. “No student should be priced out of the college they need to succeed in the modern economy. With more and more high school graduates putting off higher education because they can’t afford it, the president’s budget would help provide the change students and families need.”
The president’s budget would increase and expand Pell Grants and Perkins loans, make the American Opportunity Tax Credit permanent, broaden the U.S. Department of Education Direct Loan program, phase out bank loan subsidies, and create state and federal partnerships to help students complete their college education.