WASHINGTON, D.C. (KBTX) – College has traditionally been seen as an investment in your future, but higher education isn’t always affordable.
The Bryan/College Station Chamber of Commerce delegation is in Washington D.C. this week advocating for more financial aid options to ensure access for more people.
“Affordability is important for a lot of families and we understand that,” said Delisa Falks, Assistant Vice President of Scholarships and Financial Aid at Texas A&M.
Falks says about 11,000 Aggies got some financial assistance through Pell grants in the last academic year. Those are funds that don’t need to be repaid.
“We see students that apply and parents who are applying that genuinely need assistance,” said Falks.
Falks says her office has already been working with families who lost jobs during the pandemic.
“One of the main things is to make sure that everybody understands that financial assistance is available,” she said.
This week, the Bryan/College Station Chamber of Commerce members and elected officials are doing their part to increase the financial aid available.
They’re pushing for Congress to double available opportunities for students to participate in the Pell grant program.
“One of the issues we face is that the cost of everything has risen. Inflation, and everything with the pandemic,” said Leighton Schubert with Blinn College. “And so people are less wanting to take on debt for higher education and other items. We still want people to have that accessibility, but they want to make sure they’re doing it responsibly, which we always support. Additional federal funding, whether it be Pell grants or other grants, other financial aid helps everyone across the board.”
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