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Pell Grant

Full title	Pell Grant is a post-secondary educational Federal grant sponsored by the U.S Department of Education. Enacted to help undergraduates of low-income families in receiving financial aid.
Citations
Public Law	Higher Education Act of 1965, Title IV, Part A, Subpart 1; 20 U.S.C. 1070a.
Legislative history
Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on
Major amendments
1972,1978,1980,1986,1992
v t e

A Pell Grant is money the U.S. federal government provides for students who need it to pay for college. Federal Pell Grants are limited to students with financial need, who have not earned their first bachelor's degree or who are not enrolled in certain post-baccalaureate programs, through participating institutions.^[1] The Pell Grant is named after U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell, Democrat of Rhode Island, and was originally known as the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant. A Pell Grant is generally considered to be the foundation of a student's financial aid package, to which other forms of aid are added.^[2] The Federal Pell Grant program is sponsored by the United States Department of Education which determines the student's financial need. The U.S Department of Education uses a standard formula to evaluate financial information reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine the student's expected family contribution (EFC).^[3]

The Pell Grant is covered by legislation titled the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), Title IV, Part A, Subpart 1; 20 U.S.C. 1070a. These federal funded grants are not like loans and do not have to be repaid. Students may use their grants at any one of approximately 5,400 participating postsecondary institutions. These federally funded grants help about 5.4 million full-time and part-time college and vocational school students nationally.^[4] For the 2010–2011 school year, 7 of the top 10 colleges by total Pell Grant money awarded were for-profit institutions.^[5] This may be in part due to the large enrollment numbers at many of these institutions; in Arizona for example, University of Phoenix had an enrollment of 380,000 students. (http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=74)

History[link]

Today, the Pell Grant program assists undergraduates of low-income families, who are actively attending universities and or other secondary institutions. However, before the Pell Grant became what it is today it went through numerous changes.

In 1965, Congress passed the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA). President Lyndon B. Johnson implemented the HEA as a part of his administration’s agenda to assist and improve higher education in the United States. This was the initial legislation to benefit students of lower and middle-income. The HEA program not only included grants but also low interest loans to students who did not fully qualify to receive grants. Universities and other institutions such as vocational schools benefited as well from the HEA program, receiving federal aid to improve the quality of the education process. "The student aid programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education are contained in Title IV of the HEA, which is why they are referred to as "Title IV Programs."

In 1972, Title IX Higher Education Amendments were a response to the distribution of aid in the current grant. Senator Claiborne Pell set forth the initial movements to reform the HEA. Opportunity Grant Program (Basic Grant) were intended to serve as the "floor" or "foundation" of an undergraduate student's financial aid package. Other financial aid, to the extent that it was available, would be added to the Basic Grant up to the limit of a student's financial need. Most changes to the federal student aid program result from a process called "reauthorization". Through the process of reauthorization, Congress examines the status of each program and decides whether to continue that program, and whether a continued program requires changes in structure or purpose. The campus-based programs have been reauthorized every five or six years beginning in 1972.

The Higher Education Amendments of 1972[link]

Claiborne Pell

The Higher Education Amendments of 1972 reauthorized the three campus-based programs and re-named two of them: the National Defense Student Loan Program became the National Direct Student Loan Program; the Economic Opportunity Grant Program, the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program (SEOG); and Proprietary (profit-making) schools became eligible to use Title IV Funds; and

The Educational Opportunity Grant Program would no longer function as a stand-alone program of gift aid, but instead would be linked with the Basic Grant Program.

In 1978 the Middle Income Student Assistance Act of 1978 (MISAA) was signed into act by President Jimmy Carter. This bill provides more generous Basic Educational Opportunity Grant—Pell grants-to low-income students, and makes eligible students from families with income up to about $25,000. An additional 1.5 million students from middle-income families will be eligible for the Basic Grants program.^[6]

In 1978, the alterations to the HEA were made to honor Rhode Island Senator Claiborne Pell with his hard work and dedication to improving the higher education of the students in the United States.

Education Amendments of 1978[link]

Middle-income families were now able to borrow $3,000 a year for each dependent child in school regardless of parent income.

Recent legislation[link]

Several changes to the program occurred in 2011. The maximum award amount for the 2011–2012 award year is $5,550.^[7] Despite a shortened application process, fewer funds for the 2011–2012 program could lead to financial problems for many students. The program was funded at an amount of $17,114,000,000 from 2008–2010 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; however, the additional funding does not fully match the needs of the increasing numbers of students enrolling in college and qualifying for aid through the recession.^[8] The Pell Grant program was subject to a $5.7 billion decrease in funding as part of a continuing resolution (H.R. 1), which cleared the House in February 2011 and cut about $60 billion from the federal budget.^[8] The changes would take effect for the 2011–12 school year, decreasing the maximum amount of aid for the most needy students from $5,550 to $4,705 a year; in addition, about 1.7 million students who receive smaller Pell Grants would become ineligible for the program. Approval for the cuts is not certain due to long-standing bipartisan support from the Senate.^[8] As of April 6, 2011 funds have not been approved, as the Senate has not voted to pass this legislation.

Application[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2012)

The application process requires the student and the student’s family complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. The applicant should complete the FAFSA form for the first time prior to starting the freshman undergraduate year, and then update the form each year as he/she progresses through the college undergraduate term. Each year, the applicant is asked to include information about parent or guardian income, financial need and grades, etc. The first step in applying for the Pell Grant is to complete or update the FAFSA form on or after July 1 of each year. The FAFSA application can be completed and submitted at www.fafsa.ed.gov. There are self-explanatory instructions in the "Fill out a FAFSA" section. High school Students can get a FAFSA form from school counselors or fill out the form online. If corrections need to be made to a completed FAFSA form, changes can be made in step 3 of the application in the "Make Corrections to a Processed FAFSA" section. When the student completes or updates the FAFSA application, questions are asked to determine eligibility for the Pell Grant, among other government grants and funding. After the initial FAFSA application is submitted, the student will be notified by email or regular postal delivery if and when Pell Grant funding is awarded. Students or parents should always make copies of the confirmation sheet for personal records.

Eligibility[link]

The United States Department of Education has a standard formula that they use to evaluate the information that each person supplies when applying for the Pell Grant. The formula used was created by Congress from criteria submitted through the FAFSA form. This formula produces a number that is called the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) which determines the student's eligibility.

This grant requires that each applicant is: an undergraduate student who has not yet earned a bachelor’s degree; a United States citizen or an eligible non-citizen; and has a high school diploma or a GED or can demonstrate the ability to benefit from the program.^[3] Applicants must also sign a statement certifying that they will only use the aid for education related purposes, that they are not currently in default for any federal student loans, and that they don’t owe a refund for any federal education grants.

An applicant may not receive Pell Grant funds from more than one college at a time.^[3]

Drug conviction[link]

Students who have received a drug conviction while receiving federal student aid may become ineligible for further aid, depending on personal circumstances. Such ineligibility may be reversed with appropriate remediation.^{[citation needed]}

Award amount[link]

As with all grants, there is a maximum amount that the government funds for each applicant. For the 2010–2011 and 2011–2012 award years, the maximum amount was $5,550.^[3][8] The maximum amount of the grant usually depends on the EFC and several other factors, including cost of attendance, the amount of time the student plans to attend college, whether it is a full academic year, and whether one is a full time or part time student^[3] Once one has been considered eligible, the money can be obtained a couple of ways: the student's school can apply Pell Grant funds to school costs, pay the student directly, usually by check, or combine these methods. The school must tell the student in writing how much the award will be and how and when it will be paid, and disburse Pell Grant funds once a semester/term or twice during the academic year.^[3] Under certain circumstances, Pell funds can also be used to fund Career Pathways programs and support services.^[9]

References[link]

External links[link]

• FAFSA on the Web
• 'The Mass Production of Credentials: Subsidies and the Rise of the Higher Education Industry.' "The Independent Review" 15 (3): 325–349^{[dead link]}

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2011)

For the entertainment executive, see Ronald Meyer

Ron Meyer (born February 17, 1941) is a former college and professional football coach. He is best known for being the head coach of Southern Methodist University, the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.

Biography[link]

Meyer's head coaching career began at UNLV, where he coached from 1971 to 1975. In 1974, he had an undefeated season at UNLV at 11–0; leading the Rebels to the NCAA Division II playoffs. In 1976, Meyer was the head coach of Southern Methodist University where he coached until 1981. This tenure included winning the Southwest Conference championship in 1981 with running backs Eric Dickerson and Craig James. While at SMU, Meyer was the losing coach in the famous "Miracle Bowl" in the 1980 Holiday Bowl, where SMU held a 45–25 lead against BYU with less than four minutes to play in the fourth quarter, only to lose 46–45 thanks to three touchdown passes from Jim McMahon.

Meyer moved to the pros in 1982, where he would coach the New England Patriots for 3 seasons. He was named the AFC Coach of the Year in his first season where he led the New England Patriots to the playoffs in the strike-shortened 1982 NFL season after the team had finished with the league's worst record the prior season. He is perhaps best remembered by New England fans for coaching during the infamous Snowplow Game against the Miami Dolphins on December 12, 1982. Under heavy snow at Foxboro Stadium with 4:45 remaining in the game, the Patriots lined up for a go-ahead field goal. Meyer called for a stadium worker named Mark Henderson (who was on a prison work release) to drive his snowplow on the field in order to clear an area for holder Matt Cavanaugh to spot the ball and to give kicker John Smith better footing. The Patriots went on to win the game, 3–0, on their way to their first playoff appearance since the 1979 season.

In 1984, Meyer was fired in midseason despite having a 5–3 record and was replaced by Raymond Berry. The move was prompted by team-wide alienation of players on Meyer's part, to where Patriots GM Patrick Sullivan was forced to hold player-only meetings. Meyer responded by firing assistant coach Rod Rust, though he did not have authority to do so. He was fired soon after.^[1] Rust was rehired by Berry, and the Patriots reached Super Bowl XX in 1985 and won the AFC East Division Title in 1986. Rust became head coach upon Berry's resignation after the 1989 season, but was fired after a disastrous 1–15 campaign in 1990.

Meyer spent over a year out of coaching after being dismissed by the Patriots. Late in the 1986 season, he was hired to coach the Indianapolis Colts, who were 0–13 at the time. Meyer promptly lead the Colts to 3 straight victories to finish 3–13. A year later, he won the AFC East Division title with the Colts where he once again won the AFC Coach of the Year. Meyer was helped in large part by being reunited with his former college standout, Eric Dickerson, who was acquired by the Colts in a three-team, 10-player trade involving the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills.

The Colts did not return to the playoffs under Meyer, slipping by one game in each of the next three seasons, from 9-7 in 1988, to 8–8 in 1989 and 7–9 in 1990, despite the selection of quarterback Jeff George with the first overall pick in the 1990 draft. He was widely criticized in trading up in the draft to obtain George, which included sending star players, receiver Andre Rison, lineman Chris Hinton, and the Colts' first round pick in 1991 to the Atlanta Falcons. George's short-lived stint in Indianapolis did not make matters better. In 1991, when the Colts started off 0–5, he was let go.

The year after his dismissal from Indianapolis, Meyer became an analyst for CNN's Pro Football show. He would remain in that role for 2 seasons.

In 1994, Meyer returned to coaching again. This time Meyer became the head coach of the Canadian Football League's Las Vegas Posse franchise. The Posse finished the season 5–13. In addition to the poor record, the team suffered from poor attendance and eventually folded. Meyer would return to his role at CNN the following season.

In 2001, Meyer would return to coaching yet again, this time as part of the XFL's Chicago Enforcers franchise. The team would finish 5–5 and would lose to the eventual champion, the Los Angeles Xtreme. After the season, the XFL folded.

He is currently an NFL analyst for the show "The Score on the NFL" on the Canadian sports channel The Score.

Head coaching record[link]

References[link]