Arizona group urges Congress: Don't cut Pell grants for students

A June 6 letter sent to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives was signed by education advocates, colleges, state and higher education executives, unions and civil rights organizations. Education Forward Arizona is a statewide education advocacy organization.

“We write to urge you to invest in our nation’s workforce by fully funding the Pell Grant program and rejecting any proposed eligibility cuts,” the letter says. “More than seven million students across the nation rely on Pell Grants to pay for college. Any program or eligibility cuts would increase costs for families and significantly reduce college enrollment and graduation rates.”

According to the letter, in January, the Congressional Budget Office released new supplemental projections for the Pell Grant program with a $2.7 billion funding cut by the end of fiscal year 2025 and a $10.3 billion cut by the end of fiscal year 2026. The total estimated cuts were at $10.9 billion.

“Many Arizona students are dependent on Pell grants to make education and training after high school affordable,” said Rich Nickel, president and CEO of Education Forward Arizona.

In 2022, 40% or 124,006 Arizona students received some form of Pell grants, half of whom are from low-income or lower-middle-class families.

“These are working class Americans, many of whom are already juggling multiple jobs, family responsibilities and rising costs of living while pursuing a transformative postsecondary credential,” Education Forward Arizona said in a written statement.

“Research by many, including Education Forward Arizona, demonstrates that Pell Grants often determine whether many of these specific types of students can persist through graduation or have to drop out due to financial strain in the absence of the aid Pell Grants provide.”

The organization’s Achieve60AZ goal is “60% of adults holding a degree or credential by 2030,” and it says cuts to Pell grants will hinder the state’s “slow and incremental” progress towards this goal.

“Defunding Pell Grants will leave students behind, reduce our talent pipeline and undermine Arizona’s economic competitiveness at a time when we can least afford it,” the statement said.