Clarendon College is among many community colleges across the nation raising concerns about the federal budget bill, referred to as “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” and the effects it could have on student financial aid.
CC President Tex Buckhaults said students attending Clarendon College could receive about $471,000 less in federal Pell Grants if the US Senate approves the bill as passed by the House of Representatives.
The bill changes the definition of a full-time student from enrollment in 12 semester hours, which has been the standard for decades, to enrollment in 15 semester hours.
The bill also changes the definition of a part-time student and stipulates that students taking less than eight hours would not qualify for Pell money at all.
“About 150 of our kids would go from full time to half time,” Buckhaults said, which would significantly reduce the federal money they are eligible for.
Community college advocates say students must integrate college into their work and family lives. Many of them cannot manage 15 credits as full-time students.
Part-time students who are taking two courses frequently cannot take a third course, which they would now need to qualify for Pell Grants.
Buckhaults said supporters of Clarendon College and its students should contact their US Senators and ask them to reject the House’s eligibility cuts for Pell Grant recipients.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.