“I believe that our community will suffer as I mentioned because higher education is what brings us opportunity, is what brings us chances and what brings hope to San Luis,” said Arizona Western College student Armando Olmos. “… like many students from here from San Luis High School, many friends are going away to study engineering. Many of them are hoping to come back, but without that opportunity, none of them, none of us, would be able to do that.”
The moment was an education town hall in San Luis, Ariz. mid-June. Sthefany Valenzuela asked what would be the implications if Pell Grants were taken away from San Luis students. For Olmos, the answer was clear.
“... Pell Grant is not only beneficial for students, it's beneficial for a community in general,” he continued. “Without this program, our economic resources will decline. Unfortunately, I'm not an economist … but I can say that it will affect us. It's a program that needs to be preserved. And guys, I want to study. I want to complete my master’s someday. So it's important that we try our best, we fight for this program.”
As a federal financial aid program, the Pell Grant awards funds to undergraduate students who “display exceptional financial need” and have not earned a bachelor’s, graduate or professional degree. More than 6 million college students across the U.S. receive a Pell Grant award, but the number of students who can receive an award and the amounts they can receive is at risk.
While the Department of Education under the Biden administration raised the maximum Pell Grant award to $7,395 for fiscal year 2025, the department under the Trump administration is requesting to lower it to $5,710 for fiscal 2027. This amount is included in the House of Representatives’ version of the reconciliation bill, more commonly known as the “Big Beautiful Bill.”
The House’s version calls for cuts to the Pell and increased eligibility limitations. Per the Congressional Budget Office, Pell Grant funding may be reduced by approximately $67 billion through 2034 and more than half of Pell students would see reductions to their aid. In response, the Senate has released a draft of its plan for higher education which excludes the Pell Grant cuts as well as eligibility limitations.
A finalized version of the bill has yet to be approved by both chambers of Congress. While Congress is aiming to meet President Donald Trump’s July 4th deadline, students like Valenzuela are asking what’ll happen to the Pell Grant program and they’re demanding no cuts be made to the program.
Advocating for Pell: The Arizona Students Association
On June 23, students, educators and their allies across the nation observed “I Am Pell Day,” which marks 53 years since Congress established the Pell Grant.
The Arizona Students Association, a nonpartisan student-led nonprofit, used the anniversary as a call for action, encouraging individuals to sign a letter to Congress and post online about the impact the Pell Grant has had on their lives and their communities. ASA Yuma County Regional Organizer Liban Arce also led a virtual teach-in that day where he spoke about the Pell Grant’s importance and how individuals can act.
ASA’s work has extended beyond “I Am Pell Day,” however. In conjunction with Save Our Schools Arizona (SOSAZ) and Instituto, ASA hosted an education town hall in mid-June to give San Luis residents a voice about the issues they’re concerned about. The Pell Grant was one of the most pressing topics of the night.
San Luis Students Weigh In
When Sthefany Valenzuela asked about the local implications of taking away Pell Grant money, she shared that she’s relied on the award since the beginning of her college journey.
“Without this financial support, attending college would not have been possible for me, and if it's taken away, I would probably not be able to continue my education so I believe that the Pell Grant isn’t just extra help; it's essential for a lot of millions of students,” she said. “And every year, more than 6 million students across the United States depend on it plus nearly one in three [under]graduates. These are people with real goals, real challenges and a strong determination to succeed.”
Briseida Morales Gonzalez, a panelist who recently earned her associate’s degree from AWC and is continuing her studies at Northern Arizona University, also depended on the Pell to afford her education.
“Many students, especially me and I know a lot of you guys rely on this financial aid to afford college and without it, enrollment rates will drop forcing some to delay or abandon their education altogether,” she said. “This will lead to fewer career opportunities widening the gap between students from low-income backgrounds and those with more financial stability.
“... Losing programs like the Pell Grant in San Luis will mean fewer opportunities for students to pursue higher education. San Luis already lacks many resources for students to thrive and taking away the little support we have will make it even harder.”
Alberto Plantillas, a fellow panelist who is now pursuing a master’s in public policy from Arizona State University argued that the cost of a college education in Arizona has quadrupled over the past 20 years, noting that tuition at each of the state’s public universities was about $2,000 per semester in 2005-2006
“Our state constitution says that education should be as nearly free as possible. We’re definitely not living up to that if tuition has quadrupled in the last 20 years and no one’s wages went up four times, you know?
“This is the problem: it’s getting more difficult. We can’t afford going to school anymore. We know we’re going to go into a ton of debt, and we’re just being told this is normal … I think it’s important to highlight that education used to be free, but the state and the federal government decided to take that away from us.”
Plantillas commented that he finds it alarming the government is threatening to take away resources and add extra limitations. He referenced one limitation included in the House’s version of the reconciliation bill that would change the definition of a full-time student from 24 to 30 credit hours per academic year, or 12 to 15 credits per semester. Students who are enrolled less than half time would be eliminated entirely.
"I already worked full time being a student in my undergrad and also did full time school so this only means that we're being forced to take on more of a burden," he said. "We're not going to receive more aid, we're still going to receive less aid and we're going to be at a worse place either way."
Local Impact: Arizona Western College in Yuma and La Paz
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 31.6% of undergraduate students received a Pell Grant. But at Arizona Western College, which serves Yuma and La Paz counties, that figure’s much higher. Associate Dean of Enrollment Services Ana English stated that 65-70% of AWC students receive a Pell Grant.
“A significant number of students receive financial aid, which is the Pell Grant here at Arizona Western College,” she said. “And the majority of those students, because we are a rural community, Hispanic, a lot of our students are first gen. They wouldn't be able to come to college if it weren't for the Pell Grant. The Pell Grant covers for the majority of their tuition, their books, transportation fees, and a lot of their fees, like for daycare and things like that. So yeah, many students would not be able to come if it weren't for the Pell Grant.”
When asked about the potential impact of reducing Pell Grant awards, English agreed with the San Luis students who said it would limit opportunities.
“It takes away the opportunity of coming to school,” she said. “Not all students qualify for a full Pell Grant so not all the students get a full amount. Some of them get the full amount, some of them get in between and some get very little. So they still have to pay out-of-pocket expenses.
“And so I think it would. It would discourage students from coming to college, and they will not be going anywhere else to school because they can't afford to leave Yuma. So having it here in Yuma, them having, you know, AWC here in Yuma, the three universities, the Pell is a big deal.”
A Push for the Senate’s Pell Provisions: Education Forward Arizona
Education Forward Arizona, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to improving education throughout the state, published a statement Tuesday applauding the Senate’s revisions as they pertain to Pell and urging the House to support them.
“As Arizona continues to increase investments in state-based financial aid programs, it’s critical that Arizona’s students can also count on a robust federal Pell Grant program and access those funds through a simplified FAFSA form (Free Application for Federal Student Aid),” said Rich Nickel, president and CEO of Education Forward Arizona.
In Arizona, about 124,000 students received a Pell Grant. Per Education Forward Arizona, more than half of Arizona’s Pell recipients who would be impacted by the House’s proposed cuts come from low-income or lower-middle-class families. Mentioning its own research, the nonprofit stated Pell Grants often determine whether students juggling multiple jobs and family responsibilities can persist through graduation or have to drop out due to financial strain.
“We urge Arizona’s entire House of Representatives delegation to support the Pell provisions as written in the Senate bill,” EFA’s statement reads. “Cuts to Pell will stall the state’s progress toward its Achieve60AZ goal of 60% of adults holding a degree or credential by 2030. While the state has made slow and incremental progress towards this goal, any cuts threaten to send Arizona backwards. Defunding Pell Grants will leave students behind, reduce our talent pipeline and undermine Arizona’s economic competitiveness at a time when we can least afford it.”
Awaiting an Outcome
The Senate may vote as early as Saturday, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said the vote was “aspirational,” according to reporting from The Hill. Regardless of which version of the reconciliation bill is passed, postsecondary students can expect changes to higher education funding. The amount of that change and how much it will personally affect them will remain to be seen.
Regarding the Pell, the Senate’s version walks back a lot of the changes students are fearing. While it doesn’t include the House’s limitations for eligibility, it does propose that students receiving grants or scholarships covering their entire cost of attendance will be ineligible to receive a Pell Grant, even if otherwise eligible. Students who would’ve been eligible for Pell but can’t receive it will still see their Pell Lifetime Eligibility Usage reduced as if they had been awarded.
Both versions, however, address the funding shortfall created by the Biden administration’s move to increase the maximum Pell Grant award in 2022. The House would put $10.5 billion into the program over three years while the Senate would put $10.5 billion all at once.
