Community college students miss out on grants
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Students pour out of classes at City College of San Francisco, above. Many California community college students eligible for Pell Grants don't apply for them.
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California community college students are leaving up to $500 million in federal financial aid on the table, money that could help cover books, transportation, fees, food and housing at a time when the cost of education is going up dramatically, according to a report released Wednesday.
The students just haven't applied for it.
Given the increased costs placed on California college students because of state budget cuts and a corresponding drop in funding for financial aid, it's frustrating that there's a big pile of untapped cash, said officials from the nonprofit Institute for College Access and Success in Berkeley.
"These are grants that enable students to take more classes, to become full-time students," said the institute's program director, Debbie Cochrane. "We're talking about students who ... don't really understand the ins and outs of entering the college bureaucracy."
The students just haven't applied for it.
Given the increased costs placed on California college students because of state budget cuts and a corresponding drop in funding for financial aid, it's frustrating that there's a big pile of untapped cash, said officials from the nonprofit Institute for College Access and Success in Berkeley.
"These are grants that enable students to take more classes, to become full-time students," said the institute's program director, Debbie Cochrane. "We're talking about students who ... don't really understand the ins and outs of entering the college bureaucracy."
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