Make college affordable by doubling the Pell Grant | Opinion

Doubling the Pell Grant will expand and transform our educated workforce for the jobs of tomorrow and reduce the loan burden on students.

Randy Boyd, Dr. Flora Tydings, Dr. Claude Pressnell and Dr. Brian Noland
Guest columnists
  • Randy Boyd, president, the University of Tennessee System; Dr. Flora Tydings, chancellor, Tennessee Board of Regents; Dr. Claude Pressnell, president, Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities; and Dr. Brian Noland, president, East Tennessee State University.

From business to government leaders to parents, we can all agree that college should be more affordable for every Tennessean. The key is keeping tuition and fees low, and the best way to do so is by doubling the federal Pell Grant — the cornerstone of student financial aid in the United States.  

We are grateful to the Tennessee congressional delegation for their commitment to making college affordable through the federal student aid programs. In 2018-19, over 127,000 qualified Tennessee students received $510 million through the existing federal Pell Grant program. The Pell Grant is targeted to those students who have the greatest financial need and equips them with the skills they need to bolster our workforce and expand the middle class. 

Scenes from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville’s spring 2021 commencement ceremony for the Haslam College of Business held in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville on Friday, May 7, 2021. The University of Tennessee at Knoxville is holding its first ever graduation ceremonies inside of Neyland Stadium this year.

Thanks to these programs, Tennessee’s colleges and universities have kept annual tuition increases as low as 2% to 3% percent per year over the past five years. As well, due to the Tennessee General Assembly’s financial commitment, public colleges and universities had no increase this past year. This is why Tennessee is already known as a low-tuition and low-student-loan state. But we are finding this is clearly not enough.   

Too many of our new high school graduates, as well as adults, are still not pursuing the degrees they need after high school, which are becoming vital in finding a living-wage job. 

A University of Memphis graduate has a decorated mortarboard during the morning graduation ceremony at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., on Saturday, May 8, 2021.

Let’s double the Pell Grant for Tennessee students 

Next summer, on June 23, 2022, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Pell Grant program, and fortunately today, there is bipartisan support and recognition that it’s time to expand the program. Congress has authorized the Pell Grant to reach $6,495 per year beginning this fall. President Joe Biden has set a bold goal of doubling the Pell Grant program. Doubling the Pell would put the grant for students most in need at nearly $13,000. That would be a huge step toward restoring the purchasing power that the Pell Grant had when it first started 50 years ago. 

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During Biden’s April 28 speech to the joint session of Congress he made a down payment to doubling the Pell Grant. In his “American Families Plan” proposal, he is calling for an immediate $1,400 increase to the grant for the neediest students. 

For those students qualifying for the full Pell Grant, it would make attending a public four-year university in Tennessee free. Doubling the Pell Grant would cover the tuition and mandatory fees at all of Tennessee’s public universities, from the University of Memphis to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 

Randie Murphy holds a sign during the University of Memphis graduation ceremony at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., on Saturday, May 8, 2021.

Students choosing a private, nonprofit campus would see free tuition and fees at many campuses as well. On average, doubling the Pell Grant would cover 50% of the published price among Tennessee’s 35 independent colleges and universities. It is also important to note that institutional aid accounted for nearly 80% of all grant aid given to students attending independent colleges and universities, thus building on the value of the publicly provided Pell Grant. 

Tennessee’s state student aid programs, like the Hope Scholarship program, Tennessee Promise and the Tennessee Student Assistance Award, can also enhance the Pell Grant by providing additional support for books and living expenses. 

Let’s build our workforce for the future  

Doubling the Pell Grant will truly expand and transform our educated workforce for the jobs of tomorrow. It will reduce the loan burden on students and enable them to graduate in a more timely manner.   

Working together, the U.S. Congress, the Tennessee General Assembly and Tennessee’s colleges and universities can truly make a high-quality college education affordable for all.  

The time is now. Let’s encourage the Congress to double the Pell Grant to make college free or affordable for all Tennesseans. 

Randy Boyd, president, the University of Tennessee System; Dr. Flora Tydings, chancellor, Tennessee Board of Regents; Dr. Claude Pressnell, president, Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities; and Dr. Brian Noland, president, East Tennessee State University.