President Bush and some federal lawmakers have proposed additional plans for funding the cash-strapped Pell Grant program in the wake of tighter eligibility requirements set to take effect next school year.
The program, which offers the main form of federal aid for underprivileged students, is running a $4.3 billion budget shortfall. Congress amended the program at the end of 2004 to make it more difficult for borderline-income students to qualify for grants. Supporters of the amendments said they were necessary to avert future cuts to the program and will increase financial aid for lower-income students.
Next year, between 100 and 150 GW students lose up to $100,000 as a result of the changes, University officials said. In December, they said a "rough estimate" showed the cuts would only affect between 35 and 50 students.
The University received $2.6 million in Pell money from about 1,000 recipients in the 2003-04 academic year. The average award was $2,600.
In a speech at Florida Community College last month, Bush pledged to increase Pell Grant funding by 12 percent, or $15 billion, over the next five years. The proposal would raise the maximum amount of Pell Grant aid of $4,050 by $100 per year though 2010.
Critics charge that Bush is short on his plan's specifics and said he has not identified exactly how he will acquire the money. Among those critics is Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee. Miller has proposed his own solution to increase Pell funding in the form of legislation co-authored with Rep. Thomas Petri (R-Wis.).
The Petri-Miller legislation would change the way federal student loans are subsidized so that college financial aid offices would have more cash available to pay for Pell Grants. Under the Petri-Miller proposal, known as the Direct Loan program, the government would administer loans itself, as opposed to the current system that relies banks and financial institutions to administer funds.
The program, which offers the main form of federal aid for underprivileged students, is running a $4.3 billion budget shortfall. Congress amended the program at the end of 2004 to make it more difficult for borderline-income students to qualify for grants. Supporters of the amendments said they were necessary to avert future cuts to the program and will increase financial aid for lower-income students.
Next year, between 100 and 150 GW students lose up to $100,000 as a result of the changes, University officials said. In December, they said a "rough estimate" showed the cuts would only affect between 35 and 50 students.
The University received $2.6 million in Pell money from about 1,000 recipients in the 2003-04 academic year. The average award was $2,600.
In a speech at Florida Community College last month, Bush pledged to increase Pell Grant funding by 12 percent, or $15 billion, over the next five years. The proposal would raise the maximum amount of Pell Grant aid of $4,050 by $100 per year though 2010.
Critics charge that Bush is short on his plan's specifics and said he has not identified exactly how he will acquire the money. Among those critics is Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee. Miller has proposed his own solution to increase Pell funding in the form of legislation co-authored with Rep. Thomas Petri (R-Wis.).
The Petri-Miller legislation would change the way federal student loans are subsidized so that college financial aid offices would have more cash available to pay for Pell Grants. Under the Petri-Miller proposal, known as the Direct Loan program, the government would administer loans itself, as opposed to the current system that relies banks and financial institutions to administer funds.
