UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A group of student leaders penned a letter to Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation urging them to support federal student aid programs like the Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), and Federal Work-Study.
The letter was submitted by the presidents and vice presidents of Penn State's Lion Caucus, the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA), the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments, and the Graduate and Professional Student Association.
The letter aligns with the current advocacy campaign from Advocate Penn State that asks Penn Staters to send an email to their U.S. representatives and senators urging them to support the maximum amount of funding for Pell Grants and oppose any cuts to SEOG and Federal Work-Study.
Penn Staters can take action on the current campaign here.
“As leaders representing the nearly 90,000 students at Penn State, we respectfully request your support for an increase in federal financial aid,” the student leaders wrote. “Specifically, the Pell Grant program supports access and affordability for 17,000 Penn State students annually, and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) and Federal Work-Study programs support upwards of 4,000 additional students. Collectively, these three programs enable our peers to access, afford, and complete a quality Penn State education throughout the Commonwealth, and lower debt upon graduation while increasing benefits that will contribute to the workforce and tax base.”
While the current Advocate Penn State campaign requests that Congress fund Pell Grants to the maximum amount of $7,495, as proposed by the Senate, Penn State has continued to support an appropriation necessary to fund a substantially increased award of $13,000 per student to help recipients nationwide cover a larger share of their educational costs.
“Robust Pell Grant funds provide access and affordability to Penn State students, and millions of students nationwide,” said Amanda Wintersteen, assistant vice president for federal relations in the Office of Government and Community Relations. “Additionally, it encourages degree competition, on-time graduation, and lower levels of student debt.”
Since it first started in 1975, the Pell Grant has steadily lost purchasing power. At its peak, the maximum Pell Grant covered a large portion of the average cost for tuition, food and housing at a public four-year university. Today, that coverage nationally has fallen to around 30%, with the maximum grant held flat at $7,395.
“In the '80s, Pell Grant recipients often received funding that covered up to 75% of tuition fees, whereas today, with stagnant funding and threats of decreases, an average student can only expect about half of that. When you, as legislators, consider aiding students — your constituents — this is one of the ways that you can go about it,” said UPUA President Zion Sykes in the student letter to Congress.
The University’s partnership with the federal government via the Pell Grant expands access to high-quality education to need-based students statewide, with 14% of University Park students and 32% of Commonwealth Campus students benefiting directly from Pell Grants.
“The Federal Pell Grant Program is a foundational source of financial aid that helps low-income students pay for college,” said Melissa Kunes, assistant vice president for enrollment management and executive director of the Office of Student Aid. “Our Penn State students have opportunities available to them upon graduation that they might not have had otherwise, to include many career choices for higher earning potential and the ability to be a better contributing member of society, and the Federal Pell Grant helps them meet that achievement.”
Additional student aid
In addition to Pell Grants, Penn State also supports continued investment in the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program and Federal Work-Study. While 75% of funds for these programs are from the federal government, 25% are provided by the University.
SEOG provides additional grant aid to Pell Grant recipients, serving as a core component of financial aid packages for students with the greatest financial need. At Penn State, the average award for each recipient is $1,860 per year, representing significant assistance to more than 3,000 of Penn State’s lowest-income students. Over each of the last few years, nearly 12,000 undergraduate students at Penn State qualified for SEOG, but federal funding limits the number who receive the grant.
More than 900 students at Penn State receive an average of $1,866 through awarded Federal Work-Study wages. The Federal Work-Study program is a critical partnership between the federal government, institutions and students, providing funds for part-time employment.
Recipients not only benefit financially from the Federal Work-Study program, but they learn professional skills and expectations, while contributing to a variety of jobs and community service roles.
All Penn Staters are encouraged to take part in Advocate Penn State’s federal action campaign now at advocate.psu.edu.