25 signatures reached
To: Erin Houchin
Expand Federal Pell Grants
The problem is that many college students struggle to pay for college because college costs rise each year because of inflation and the rising costs of living. A solution for this problem would be to expand Federal Pell Grants.
First of all, I will talk more about the problem and explain what students must do to be able to pay for college if they don’t get help from federal funding. Many students must get jobs to help them pay for college, which makes it even harder for students to keep up their grades. According to an article posted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics from August 19, 2024, about 44.3% of college students were employed in October 2023. 39.6% of full-time students were employed and 77.7% of part-time students were employed. This is almost half of all college students who are employed while also having to juggle their work for each class and keep up their grades. Many students must get loans to help them pay for college because they can’t afford it themselves. According to an article by the US News from October 21, 2024, it states that in 2023 59% of college graduates had taken out student loans. The average total debt of graduates that took out loans in 2023 was $29,374. This shows that over half of college students need to take out student loans and then they end up having thousands of dollars to pay back after they graduate.
Next, I will talk more about what causes most students to struggle to afford college. Each year college gets more expensive, especially at UIndy. I know each year they send out an email with updated prices and each year it goes up. According to emails sent out by the UIndy president, each year tuition and other expenses go up. One email from March 18, 2024, stating that the standard room rate, the 14-meal plan, full-time undergraduate tuition, and university fees were all going to increase for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. This means that if a student had to pay all of these fees, they’d have to pay an extra $1,372 the upcoming year. Then another email sent out earlier this year on February 14, 2025, states that full-time undergraduate tuition, university mandatory fees, standard double room rate in Warren and Cravens Halls, and the 14-meal plan are all going to increase for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year. This totals to about $1,348 in increases. According to the FAFSA website, the maximum amount a student could receive from a Federal Pell Grant is $7,359 for the 2025-2026 school year but it has been this amount for at least the past two years even though college expenses continue to rise. Federal Pell Grants should increase to account for inflation and rising costs so that low income students can afford all of the rising college expenses.
Finally, I will explain why expanding Federal Pell Grants could be a solution to this problem. Expanding Federal Pell Grants will help college students be able to more easily pay for college. Federal Pell Grants should at least be increased to account for inflation because that is one reason why college tuition and other college expenses continue to rise. This could also allow students to pay for college without needing to work while being in college. This could also help students have more financial stability and not have to worry about taking out student loans. Many college students worry about how they are going to pay for college and expanding Pell grants could help them be able to afford college without having to stress. According to Congress.gov there is a bill called the Pell Grant Sustainability Act that was introduced in the House on February 27, 2025. This bill would raise the maximum value of Federal Pell Grants to account for inflation each year. Federal Pell Grants need to be expanded to keep up with the raising costs to enable lower income students to be able to attend college. All in all, expanding Federal Pell Grants to account for inflation and rising costs will help with the problem of students being unable to pay for college.
First of all, I will talk more about the problem and explain what students must do to be able to pay for college if they don’t get help from federal funding. Many students must get jobs to help them pay for college, which makes it even harder for students to keep up their grades. According to an article posted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics from August 19, 2024, about 44.3% of college students were employed in October 2023. 39.6% of full-time students were employed and 77.7% of part-time students were employed. This is almost half of all college students who are employed while also having to juggle their work for each class and keep up their grades. Many students must get loans to help them pay for college because they can’t afford it themselves. According to an article by the US News from October 21, 2024, it states that in 2023 59% of college graduates had taken out student loans. The average total debt of graduates that took out loans in 2023 was $29,374. This shows that over half of college students need to take out student loans and then they end up having thousands of dollars to pay back after they graduate.
Next, I will talk more about what causes most students to struggle to afford college. Each year college gets more expensive, especially at UIndy. I know each year they send out an email with updated prices and each year it goes up. According to emails sent out by the UIndy president, each year tuition and other expenses go up. One email from March 18, 2024, stating that the standard room rate, the 14-meal plan, full-time undergraduate tuition, and university fees were all going to increase for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. This means that if a student had to pay all of these fees, they’d have to pay an extra $1,372 the upcoming year. Then another email sent out earlier this year on February 14, 2025, states that full-time undergraduate tuition, university mandatory fees, standard double room rate in Warren and Cravens Halls, and the 14-meal plan are all going to increase for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year. This totals to about $1,348 in increases. According to the FAFSA website, the maximum amount a student could receive from a Federal Pell Grant is $7,359 for the 2025-2026 school year but it has been this amount for at least the past two years even though college expenses continue to rise. Federal Pell Grants should increase to account for inflation and rising costs so that low income students can afford all of the rising college expenses.
Finally, I will explain why expanding Federal Pell Grants could be a solution to this problem. Expanding Federal Pell Grants will help college students be able to more easily pay for college. Federal Pell Grants should at least be increased to account for inflation because that is one reason why college tuition and other college expenses continue to rise. This could also allow students to pay for college without needing to work while being in college. This could also help students have more financial stability and not have to worry about taking out student loans. Many college students worry about how they are going to pay for college and expanding Pell grants could help them be able to afford college without having to stress. According to Congress.gov there is a bill called the Pell Grant Sustainability Act that was introduced in the House on February 27, 2025. This bill would raise the maximum value of Federal Pell Grants to account for inflation each year. Federal Pell Grants need to be expanded to keep up with the raising costs to enable lower income students to be able to attend college. All in all, expanding Federal Pell Grants to account for inflation and rising costs will help with the problem of students being unable to pay for college.
In conclusion, the problem is that many college students struggle to pay for college which leads to them having to work and go to college at the same time which can cause added stress for these students. Many students also must take out student loans to pay for college which leads to them being in a lot of debt when they graduate college. The cause of this problem is that each year college tuition and other college costs rise. Even though college expenses rise each year, federal funding for college students has stayed the same. A solution to this problem is to expand Federal Pell Grants to account for the inflation that has caused the rising costs of college.
Why is this important?
This is an important cause because every person deserves a chance to go to college if they want to. Going to college allows people to get a higher education which can be very helpful to develop critical thinking skills, a deeper understanding of the world, and just overall being more informed. It also allows for better job opportunities, better earning potentials, and greater career success. Almost half of college students have to get jobs while in college which can add stress to these students because they have to juggle school and work. Over half of college students have to take out student loans and end up having debt after they graduate because they can't afford college on their own. With rising costs many people won't be able to afford a higher education if they want to but expanding Federal Pell Grants to account for inflation can help more students be able to afford college. This can potentially allow students to take out less student loans and students might not have to get jobs during college for them to afford to attend. It can potentially help students be less stressed and less worried about where they are going to find the money to afford college. Overall, expanding Federal Pell Grants to account for inflation can allow lower income students to attend college and get a higher education.