University of Arizona Joins Nationwide Advocacy Efforts to Double the Pell Grant

The higher education community recently released the #DoublePell sign-on letter. With nearly 1,200 signatories, including the University of Arizona, the letter kicks off a developing campaign across the higher education community to grow support for doubling the maximum Pell Grant award to $13,000.00.

For more than 7 million students, Pell Grants make the difference between being able to afford college or not. Pell Grants are well-targeted to students with clear financial need: Approximately three-fourths of all Pell Grant dollars are awarded to students with a family income below $30,000. Three-quarters of student parents and more than two-thirds of first generation college students and student veterans are Pell recipients. A robust and growing body of research also shows that additional grant aid, including Pell Grants, increases college enrollment, degree attainment, and post-graduation earnings for recipients.

With approximately 11,000 Pell grant recipients at UArizona, a doubling of the award would have enormous benefits for our students. For more information regarding resources currently available to UArizona students, please visit our Financial Aid site. In addition to the Federal Pell Grant, UArizona provides access to the Pell Pledge Grant, available to students who are Pell eligible and residents of Arizona.