Protect the Pell Grant
The United States Student Association (USSA) launched a national campaign to protect, strengthen, and ultimately triple funding for the Pell Grant, the nation's largest federal investment in college affordability.
For more than five decades, the Pell Grant has helped millions of low-income students access higher education. Yet the cost of college has continued to rise while the purchasing power of the Pell Grant has steadily declined. Today, Pell Grants cover a significantly smaller share of college costs than they did for previous generations, forcing students to take on debt, work excessive hours, delay graduation, or abandon their educational goals altogether.
USSA believes that higher education should be affordable and accessible to every student, regardless of income or background. To meet the realities facing today's students, Congress must substantially increase federal investment in college affordability and education funding.
Advocacy
More than 6 million students rely on Pell Grants to afford college, but the program now faces a significant funding shortfall. USSA joined a national coalition calling on Congress to protect and strengthen Pell Grant funding. Read the letter and learn what's at stake for students across the country.
The Pell Grant has opened the doors to higher education for millions of students, but behind every grant is a personal story. We want to hear how Pell has impacted your life—whether it helped you enroll in college, stay in school, reduce debt, support your family, or pursue your dreams.
Your story can help lawmakers, the media, and the public understand why protecting and strengthening the Pell Grant matters. Share your experience today and join students across the country in standing up for college affordability and educational opportunity.
Students Wants
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Ensure the Pell Grant program does not face a funding shortfall. While the OBBBA added $10.5 billion in mandatory program funding meant to avert a shortfall in fiscal year 2026, the Congressional Budget Office projected in February 2026 that, absent further action, the program still face.
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At least double the maximum Pell Grant so that it covers at least roughly half of the average cost ofattending a four-year public college.
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The only way to permanently stop the risk of shortfall is to shift the Pell program to be funded entirely on the mandatory side of the budget. This shift would eliminate the need for annual appropriations and provide for automatic adjustments in program funding based on changes in participation.
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While the OBBBA added $10.5 billion in mandatory program funding to temporarily avert a shortfall in fiscal year 2026, the program is likely to face a shortfall again soon if lawmakers do not make additional investments. The program was already facing a funding gap before lawmakers expanded it to cover short-term workforce training programs
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Join the Campaign!
