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Billions in Pell dollars go to students who never graduate
The Hechinger Report | 8/17/15

Behind the Headline
Should Pell Grants Target the College-Ready?
Education Next | Spring 2014

While the federal government does not collect data on the graduation rates of students who receive Pell grants, an investigation by the Hechinger Institute suggests that billions of taxpayer dollars are going to students who never earn degrees.

Data collected from 32 of the largest private and 50 of the largest public universities reveal that that more than a third of Pell grant recipients at those schools had not earned degrees even after six years, Sarah Butrymowicz reports.

A recent forum in Education Next looks at whether Pell grants should only be awarded to students who have demonstrated that they are ready for college-level work.

In “Target Aid to Students Most Likely to Succeed,” Isabel Sawhill calls for conditioning Pell Grants on both financial need and the likelihood of college completion. Sara Goldrick-Rab argues in response that “Conditional Pell Dollars Miss Students Who Need Them Most.”

—Education Next