xiggi
November 2, 2011, 2:35pm
30
<p>BB, here are some additional numbers to support your position. Pell vs Cal grants presents an interesting comparison. </p>
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As president of the ten-campus University of California system, and as president of the University of California Student Association (UCSA), we write on behalf of all the students across the University of California system, and especially the 72,000 undergraduates who rely on Pell awards. These low-income students are facing particularly difficult challenges in California’s struggling economy. Together we are demonstrating our combined commitment to ensuring that all students regardless of their family income have access to a quality UC education.</p>
<p>In fall 2010, 40 percent of all UC undergraduates were Pell Grant recipients, which is higher than at any comparable research university. While Pell Grants are key to providing financial access to an undergraduate UC education, they are also keeping UC’s low-income students in school and ensuring that they graduate. In fact, nearly 80 percent of UC Pell Grant recipients graduate from UC within six years, a rate similar to students with higher incomes.</p>
<p>The federal government is a key partner with California, and the University of California, in expanding access and assuring affordability to higher education. Last year, UC students received a total of $286 million in Pell Grants, $425 million in Cal Grants funded through the state, and $443 million in UC grants (institutional aid) to help finance their education. In addition, all UC students must provide a “self-help” contribution of nearly $10,000, which they generally cover through work and loans. If the Pell Grant aid is reduced, low-income students will be forced to work additional hours, which could affect their academic progress toward completion, or cause them to assume unmanageable debt levels.
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<p>Fwiw, it also remains interesting how poorly the Pell statistics at the UC correlate with the ethnic distribution of income for the state of California.</p>