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UW President Rothman asks to Protect Pell Grants
The president of the University of Wisconsin is worried that nearly one-in-four of his students may have to find a new way to pay for school.
UW President Jay Rothman last week wrote to Wisconsin’s members of Congress, asking them to protect Pell Grants in the new federal budget.
"While I appreciate the efforts to address the nation’s debt and deficit, I cannot support efforts that look to do so to the detriment of the students we are privileged to serve," Rothman wrote in his letter.
There is concern about the future of financial aid for college students, particularly Pell Grants, after President Trump ordered sweeping changes at the Department of Education.
The federal DOE is in charge of about $1.6 trillion in student loan debt, and also manages about $33 billion in Pell Grants each year.
Rothman said in his letter that just under 25% of all UW students get some form of Pell Grant.
"The Pell Grant program provided $130 million to 26,000 Wisconsin resident undergraduates (23% of resident undergraduates), with an average grant of $5,000," Rothman added.
The percent of kids who get Pell Grants ranges from campus to campus, with the highest being UW-Superior's 33%. And the lowest being UW-Oshkosh's 15%. The university says just over 20% of UW-Madison students, and just over 32% of UW-Milwaukee students received Pell Grants last school year.
“Programs like the Pell Grant and other federal financial aid are critical to ensuring continued access and success for students who choose to pursue higher education,” Rothman added. “Indiscriminate cuts whether to research, financial aid, or programs that provide student support are ultimately shortsighted and will negatively impact the next generation of Wisconsin’s workforce.”
Rothman added that financial aid, both Pell Grants and other aid, is critical for the UW.
"Almost three-fifths (59 percent) of Universities of Wisconsin undergraduates, or 91,000 students, received some form of financial aid," he wrote in his letter.
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