Affordability
Make postsecondary education affordable for low- and middle-income families

Post

Provide state aid to cover the gap between the Pell award and the cost of public tuition and fees.  

Allocate state aid for part-time students and for summer semester courses. 

Review state policy to allow additional funding or  incentives to universities that cover more unmet need for low-income students.  

Incentivize colleges to use more open educational resources or low-cost texts.

Encourage federal officials to improve Pell Grants to better support the lowest-income students by:  

  • Developing a formula to better meet the needs of students with the greatest need  
  • Increasing awards to cover a larger portion of the cost of attendance  
  • Increasing the yearly maximum Pell Grant award on an annual basis to an amount that will cover at least 50% of the cost of an average four-year public education — and thus fully cover the costs of a two-year public education.
  • Providing federal aid for part-time low-income students  

Encourage federal officials to simplify the FAFSA process for families by to  the federal tax filing process. 

Adjust financial aid formulas to incentivize completing a degree faster, or give incentive funding to colleges that help students complete faster.