OPINION

Guest Opinion: Double up the Pell Grant

Stephen E. Thorsett
Guest Opinion
Eaton Hall is seen on campus at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020.

Leaders in higher education across Oregon and across the country are innovating constantly to make college more affordable and accessible for hard-working students and their families. 

Last year, Willamette University made the landmark decision to reset its tuition to expand college access and price transparency. In 2019, Willamette launched the Willamette Savings Match program, which matches up to $40,000 over eight semesters for eligible students with Oregon College Savings Plan accounts. 

Our colleagues in Congress can do their part by taking a step that is proven to be successful and that will immediately help make an invaluable college degree obtainable for more students: doubling Pell Grants

Lawmakers have an opportunity right now to make a bipartisan investment in the American economy by doubling Pell Grants as part of the proposed spending bill under negotiation. These grants, which are worth a maximum of $6,495 for 2021-22, help millions of low- and moderate-income and first-generation college students across the country pay for higher education each year. Doubling this aid will not only help a wider pool of students afford college, it will help current aid recipients stay on track for graduation.

Student debt and the cost of college have been at the forefront of conversations about higher education for years, and rightly so. Decades of evidence has made it clear that a college degree is a worthwhile investment that yields a high return, but increasing tuition rates and the fear of significant loan debt is deterring students - especially underrepresented students - away from college completely. 

The COVID-19 pandemic only made it worse. Nationally, college enrollment is down 13% across all of higher education and financial aid applications are down 6% for low-income students. We risk an entire generation of high-achieving students missing out on a life-changing college degree right when we need them the most to help jumpstart the American economy again and compete on an international stage that demands robust education and training. 

Many institutions, including Willamette, are doing their part to invest in students and make higher education more affordable and accessible for them and their families. Doubling Pell Grants is a way for the nation to match that investment in the future workforce by quickly and fairly getting critical aid directly into the hands of students who need it fast. 

And it’s another investment that largely pays for itself: The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that college graduates pay about $3,600 more in taxes each year than people who only have a high school diploma. 

In Oregon alone, more than 71,000 students received more than $268 million in Pell Grants in 2019-20. Twenty-eight percent of undergraduates at Willamette pay for their education with the help of Pell Grants. Imagine what could happen if those numbers were doubled.

Willamette provides a world-class education for students in fields like public health, sustainability, business and data science. It is absolutely crucial that we engage more students from different backgrounds not just to eliminate the opportunity gap between wealthy and low-income students, but because we need their valuable insight to help tackle society’s most pressing issues after they graduate.

Doubling Pell Grants is not only a smart investment that benefits the entire country, it’s the right thing to do.

Stephen Thorsett, president of Willamette University.

Stephen E. Thorsett is the president of Willamette University in Salem. You may reach him at President@willamette.edu