<p>Yes, Pell grants are a form of welfare, but like other posters have said, that’s a good thing. I rely on financial aid to attend school, and even at a state school, TAP and Pell plus three (smallish) scholarships and an RA position still falls somewhat short of covering the school calculated cost of attendance (though I don’t need quite all of that money for books and expenses anyway). Without this aid, there is absolutely no way I’d be able to afford my education and I would probably graduate with loans that I could not pay off, if I even went to school at all.</p>
<p>Needless to say, I think it is imperative that school be made affordable to those who do not have the ability to pay. That’s not to say that the entirety of COA should be covered by grants, but that the cost of a state school should be covered to the extent where the gap can be reasonably bridged by work and minimal loans. Otherwise, it would just serve to solidify an even more permanent underclass with little hope of the social mobility that I have been able to pursue due to financial aid.</p>