The Bush administration next week will propose the largest Pell Grant increase in 30 years, U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said Thursday.
Top grants for the neediest students would increase by $550, to $4,600, for fall 2008, the secretary said in a speech at North Carolina State University. The president’s budget blueprint then envisions small annual increases thereafter until the maximum grant reaches $5,400 in five years.
“Higher education costs have made it more difficult for low and middle-income families to afford college,” she said. “This is real money that will help more low-income students achieve the dream of a college education.”
Bush is due to present his 2008 federal budget covering all agencies, including education, on Feb. 5 in Washington, D.C.
