Bipartisan legislation recently introduced by U.S. Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) would make federal Pell Grants more flexible and available to students year round.
The Flexible Pell Grant for 21st Century Students Act would better reflect student demographics becoming older, having families and working part- or full-time jobs while attending school.
“As the youngest member of Congress and the chair of the House Republican Policy Committee’s Millennial Task Force, I am pleased to introduce this important, bipartisan measure to help make college more affordable for North Country families,” Stefanik said. “This legislation is a direct result of concerns that were raised from my Higher Education roundtables throughout the district, and from Carole McCoy, president of Jefferson Community College.”
Currently, Pell Grants support nearly one-third of undergraduate students. It doesn’t, however, support students who take classes outside of the traditional school year because it is based on a six-year, two-semester timeline.
“Right now, Pell Grants are only available for qualifying students during the fall and spring semesters,” Stefanik continued. “By expanding the eligibility window to include summer classes and increasing the possible maximum Pell Grant award by 50 percent, we can make sure that low and middle-income families have added flexibility to achieve a college degree. As the first member of my immediate family to graduate from college, making higher education more affordable and more accessible is a top priority of mine and I urge my colleagues to support this common sense legislation.”
Congress needs to ensure that students can complete postsecondary education as quickly and affordably as possible, Curbelo said.
“This bipartisan bill would help many South Florida students graduate faster and at a lower cost by providing them the flexibility to draw Pell Grant funds at a faster pace to pay for additional courses,” Curbelo concluded.
U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL) introduced the legislation with Stefanik and Curbelo.