The Student Aid Alliance, of which AAU is a member, sent a letter to the leadership of the House and Senate subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies seeking increased funding for federal student aid programs in FY23.
Specifically, the letter encouraged appropriators to double the annual maximum Pell Grant award to $13,000, which is one of AAU’s top priorities. The letter also asked for increases in other federal student aid programs such as TRIO, Federal Work-Study, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need. “The most direct way to improve college affordability is to enhance and expand proven, successful programs,” the letter said. “Not only is this an investment in students’ futures, it is an investment in our country’s economic recovery from the pandemic,” it added.