Pell Grants make college attainable for millions of Americans, including here in Tacoma

Congress has an immediate opportunity to act on a popular bipartisan issue: college access and affordability. Right now in Washington, D.C., legislators are negotiating the $3.5 trillion Build Back Better reconciliation bill. The next few weeks will be critical to the college access and affordability agenda as lawmakers, including Washington state’s own Patty Murray, have the opportunity to ensure that much-needed Pell Grant increases are protected during these negotiations.

The Pell Grant, which opens the doors of college and opportunity to low- and moderate-income students, is a proven federal program that has placed higher education within reach for millions of Americans, but hasn’t kept pace with inflation and the rising cost of college.

When first established, the Pell Grant covered the full cost of community college, the majority of a four-year public degree, and over a third of the average cost of a four-year private degree. Yet today the maximum Pell Grant covers the smallest share of college costs in the program’s history. It is time to restore the field-leveling impact of the Pell Grant. By doubling the maximum Pell Grant, Congress can re-invest in the country’s future and expand access to one of the primary drivers of individual and national economic health: broad access to higher education.

As president of University of Puget Sound, preparing students for success in a rapidly changing world is my top priority. One of the best ways we can position students to embrace the future and become the leaders our world needs, both in Washington state and nationwide, is by covering more of the cost of their college educations.

Career earnings for a bachelor’s degree graduate are more than twice as much as those with only a high school diploma. A recent national study by the Gender Equity Institute projects that by doubling the Pell Grant, students, on average, will see their debt “slashed in half.” By doubling the Pell Grant from $6,495 to $13,000, Congress can ensure that the opportunity to pursue higher education does not become a lifetime burden that disproportionately falls on those who are the least able to afford it.

While institutions like the University of Puget Sound help meet the financial need of students and offer many types of aid, including scholarships and student employment, the Pell Grant remains one of our best tools for meeting the needs of low-income students. Last year, the Pell Grant helped 101,577 students in Washington State and 6.9 million students nationwide pay for college, increasing their likelihood of completing their degrees, decreasing their debt, and increasing their lifetime earnings.

We know that opportunity is not equally distributed, and Pell Grants are particularly important for students of color. Nearly 60% of Black students, half of Indigenous American Students, nearly half of Latinx students, and over one-third of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders use Pell Grants to help pay for college. Doubling the Pell Grant would expand these students’ choices about the kind of education and institution that is right for them––once again making community college essentially free and covering enough of a public or private four-year education to make it possible for any student to attend without the need to create any new government programs or processes.

Making this time-tested and efficient investment in higher education now is an acknowledgment of the original promise of the Pell Grant program and the promise of education as a great equalizer and great benefit to our society as a whole. By doubling the Pell Grant, Congress can quickly and efficiently make good on this promise of equal access to education for millions of Americans now.

Isiaah Crawford, Ph.D., is president of University of Puget Sound and chair of the board of directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

This story was originally published October 13, 2021 at 5:00 AM.