By Raymond AlQaisi, Senior Manager of Policy and Advocacy
Reading time: Five minutes
At the start of the year, the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) tried to predict what our members could expect from the education policy landscape
in 2022. Much was unclear at the time. Congress had not even resolved federal funding for the fiscal year that began the October prior.
While hard to say much of the policy forecast, NCAN reaffirmed one certainty: We would do all we can to support our members and students who – since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic – have truly prioritized engaging in advocacy for equitable college access and completion policies.
Member and Student Advocacy
In April, NCAN held our signature annual engagement, Virtual Advocacy Week, around strengthening the Pell Grant program. In preparation, our members and students participated in advocacy skill-building
and the “how-to” of conduct congressional meetings. In virtual meetings, they shared their stories and discussed solutions as to how Congress could address equity gaps in postsecondary attainment. NCAN also convened senior staff of the education committees
for a panel discussion.
At the 2022 NCAN Conference, “Advancing the Right to Postsecondary Attainment,” in Atlanta, GA, NCAN convened a student panel to discuss the barriers to college-going and completion. Three students from NCAN members Achieve Atlanta, Alabama Possible, and the Florida College Access Network shared their postsecondary journeys, recommendations for policymakers, and how higher
education as a whole can better serve today’s students.
This year, NCAN found more momentum around our annual #Thankful4Pell week to celebrate the Pell
Grant program and elevate its impact towards student success. Through social media and grassroots advocacy, the campaign received outstanding engagement from NCAN members and students who shared their stories around Pell and the difference that need-based
aid makes.
Policy progress is due to incredible advocacy efforts such as those led by NCAN members and students who have consistently
made the case for Pell investment.
The Year of the Pell Grant
Back in March, after months of congressional negotiations, President Biden signed the fiscal year 2022 federal funding deal into law. The
bipartisan agreement included a $400 increase to the maximum Pell Grant for the 2022-23 award year, bringing it to $6,895. This was the largest single increase in over a decade (since the 2009-10 award year).
Also this year, President Biden’s budget for fiscal year 2023 expressed a commitment to double the maximum Pell Grant by 2029 and to expand federal student aid
access to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, recipients.
In June, NCAN and the education community celebrated the 50th year anniversary of the Pell Grant in an outstanding display
of support for the program. Also, NCAN member and partner The Institute for College Access & Success hosted a capitol hill briefing to convene policymakers and current Pell recipient students on their vision for the future of the Pell Grant.
While Congress is still working on fiscal year 2023 appropriations, NCAN hopes to see another big investment in the maximum Pell Grant award. The delay on federal funding is largely driven by the recent midterm elections, and the fact that the U.S. House will flip to Republican control in the next Congress. Currently, Congress is considering an increase of $500 to the maximum award for the 2023-24 year.
Student Loans in the Headlines
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal student loan borrowers have not had to make payments, loans have not accrued interest, nor have borrowers been subject to default-related collections. The repayment pause remains in effect, after the White
House announced a new program of targeted student loan debt relief, canceling up to $20,000 for
eligible borrowers. This initiative was quickly stalled by litigation by actors looking to prevent the administration’s effort to help borrowers. Questions around its legality will be resolved when it is considered by the Supreme Court early in 2023.
The administration has found success in other loan forgiveness efforts, such as the waiver of restrictive eligibility requirements for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The PSLF waiver, that took effect in October 2021, has provided
resolution to the many borrowers who worked in public service for the time period necessary, but had not qualified for forgiveness. As a result, nearly 360,000 borrowers have benefited to the tune of $24 billion.
State Policy
This year also brought much discussion about state-level policy and advocacy. In many states, governors raised postsecondary education in their “State of the State” addresses on key issues such as college affordability, need-based aid, and FAFSA completion. It is great to see attention by state policymakers to make progress on postsecondary attainment issues.
California became the 5th state to ban scholarship displacement, benefitting over a million students each year who are at risk of losing critical
support they need to complete their degrees. Scholarship displacement occurs when one form of financial aid, like a grant, is decreased by the amount of an external scholarship award, resulting in a zero net gain for a student.
In Arizona, voters narrowly approved Proposition 308, which allows all students to pay in-state tuition if they attended and graduated high school in the state. Arizona now joins 22 other states in allowing students who are undocumented to pay in-state
tuition.
Recently, NCAN launched a new effort to support members looking to deepen their impact on state higher
education policy. Over the next several months, we will be convening members around specific state policy-focused working groups, and connecting members with tools, resources, and the skills needed to change state policy. Members looking to advance
college and career readiness in their states should consult our new, online interactive dashboard focused on states’ current conditions and how to further discrete policy levers.
Looking Forward to the New Year
With slim majorities this past Congress, the administration found it difficult to pass items on the president’s higher education agenda, pursuing much through regulatory actions, such as its efforts to expand Pell Grants to incarcerated individuals, improve
public service loan forgiveness. Given the next Congress will be split control, it will be even harder to enact change and it is expected that the administration will continue to look for opportunity through regulatory activity and other executive
branch actions.
Heading into the new year, NCAN again affirms our commitment to supporting members pursuing policy advocacy and monitor the state and federal environment for ways to improve college attainment for all students.
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