Higher Education Policy

Community College Students Forgo Hundreds of Millions in Aid Cash Every Year

Campus Technology: California's community college students leave nearly $130 million in Pell Grant awards unclaimed each semester, according to a new report from the Wheelhouse Center for Community College Leadership and Research at the University of California, Davis School of Education.

The report,"Money Left on the Table: An Analysis of Pell Grant Receipt among Financially Eligible Community College Students in California," found that more than 20 percent of the students who successfully applied, demonstrated eligibility and enrolled in the required number of credits still did not receive any Pell Grant aid. The researchers also found that student uptake of Pell Grants varied widely from one campus to the next — swinging from 60 to 90 percent — regardless of student and campus characteristics. According to the authors, campus-level policies and practice may play a role.

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