Appropriations season is in full swing in Washington, DC. Last week, the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) submitted appropriations requests to Congress for fiscal year (FY) 2025 regarding several federal student aid programs, the administration of federal student aid, and support for related agencies.
The letters, directed to the leadership of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittees on both the House and Senate side, requested that funding for federal aid programs remain a priority for FY 2025: “Strong investment in each of these programs
is essential to ensure that college is accessible and that costs are manageable for students and families. Your robust support of federal student aid programs will help make college enrollment and completion a reality, particularly for first-generation
college students and those from low-income backgrounds.”
For FY 2025, NCAN requested the following funding levels for the US Department of Education programs:
Requisite funding so that the maximum Pell Grant award can be increased to $7,895, a $500 increase from award year 2024-25
Federal Student Aid (FSA) administrative funding of $2.7 billion
Postsecondary Student Success Grant (PSSG) program funding of $100 million
Supplementary Educational Opportunity Grant funding of $1.2 billion
Federal Work-Study funding of $1.6 billion
TRIO program funding of $1.3 billion
GEAR UP funding of $410 million
Additionally, NCAN requested that the Corporation for National and Community Service receive $1.48 billion in funding for FY 2025 – and that the AmeriCorps program, which allows many college access programs to provide near-peer mentors and advisors for
their students, receive $650 million in funding.
We are hopeful that these asks, in addition to the continued advocacy efforts of our members and coalition partners, will urge Congress to provide the funds needed to help close gaps in attainment for students across the country, and to facilitate the
efficient and effective administration of federal student aid in FY 2025.
Questions? Please contact Louisa Woodhouse, Policy Associate, at woodhouse@ncan.org or Catherine Brown, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy, at brownc@ncan.org.
Email to a Friend