The House Republicans’ omnibus spending bill keeps the maximum Pell Grant at $5,550 for fiscal 2012, but limits Pell eligibility to cut costs, reports Community College Times.
Under the bill, students without a high school diploma, GED or homeschooling certification could not qualify for student aid by passing an “ability-to-benefit” (ATB) test showing they can do college-level work. Graduation rates are poor for ATB students. The change would affect 1 percent of community college students and 3 percent of students at for-profit institutions.
In addition, students could collect grants for only 12 semesters or six years, down from 18 semesters. Although that will affect some part-time students, it’s a very modest proposal compared to an earlier idea that was rejected: Limit Pell Grants to full-time students to raise graduation rates.
Currently, a student automatically receives the maximum Pell grant with family income of $30,000 or less. That would be cut to $23,000.
Overall, the changes would trim $11 billion over 10 years, according to an outline of the bill from House Republicans, which noted the “common-sense reforms” would ensure the program’s financial stability.
The bill also proposes small cuts in job training programs, except for the Veterans Employment and Training Services program, which would receive a small increase.
