Students question grant amounts
By Carmen Castro
Staff Reporter

Year to year, college students await the results of their financial aid package to see how much money they will need to pay for their upcoming semester’s tuition.

Cynthia Montes, a junior international political science major, said she’s noticed difficulties when it comes to keeping her eligibility for Pell Grant funding as she puts herself through school, while balancing both a full-time job and her course load.

“Without the Pell Grant, I would not even be in school at all,” Montes said. “And now I’m scared that less grants will lead to more loans, which will continue to put me in deeper debt. I’m scared to see what would happen if I maxed out on the amount of loans I can take out.”

Montes is one of 964 current undergraduates eligible to receive a combined total of $2.6 million in Pell Grants this year.

But the amount of money available through Pell Grants is not keeping pace with tuition, said Mike Scott, director of scholarships and student financial aid.

“Somewhere like Tarrant County College, it covers all tuition fees and books, and still leaves some left over,” Scott said. “The difference is in how it’s allocated.”

Last year’s 8 percent tuition increase makes it difficult to try to offset a student’s tuition cost when federal Pell Grant funding remains stagnant, Scott said.

The Pell Grant program is the largest federal need-based grant program available to undergraduate students, according to the Department of Education Web site.

For the 2003-2004 school year, the set Federal Pell Grant award ranges from $400 to $4,050. This year, the average amount received by eligible TCU students is $2,697.10, Scott said.

“Roughly, about 13 percent of undergraduate students here are eligible for the Pell Grant,” Scott said. “TCU has not felt much impact because not many are eligible, but all those that are eligible accept the award.”

Pell Grants eligibility is based on need, calculated in a student aid report after the student files the annual FAFSA application. The cost of attendance and enrollment status are other factors, according to the federal student aid Web site.

TCU is also coping with a recent $500,000 cut in the state’s Tuition Equalization Grant, Scott said. The Tuition Equalization Grant is given to students attending a private university to try to offset the cost in comparison to public schools, he said.

TCU is funding $40.5 million of its own institutional funds to try and offset the limited federal funding, Scott said.

“The chancellor typically approves an increase of grant funding by the same percentage that the tuition increased to help students,” Scott said. “It leaves us and the students trying to keep up. Students loan volumes are increasing as a result of all this.”

Scott said Congress has shifted its funding tactics by concentrating on subsidized loans and tax deductions for middle-class families.

Alfred Douglas, a freshman biology major, said he receives about $4,000 through the Pell Grant. However, he isn’t affected too much by the Pell Grant because the ROTC program covers the difference in total tuition cost. Douglas said it has to be difficult for those who do not have outside funding to cover the remaining balance.

“It helps, but it actually does not cover much,” Douglas said. “I guess it’s just a kicker to help jump-start.”