The proposed elimination of the Department of Education has questions about the continuation of grants and loans cropping up in college students’ minds.
As of 2023, 34 percent of college undergraduate students rely on Pell Grants to attend college. The total amount of aid taken by collegiate students was $44.3 billion.
Donald Trump’s desire to eliminate the Department of Education will – fingers crossed – not come to fruition. That being said, if it does happen, the Office of Federal Student Aid would be shifted to another department.
While this move wouldn’t cancel existing loans and grants outright, as in any authority or oversight adjustment, it will affect the way the current system operates.
What do college students whose education and maybe even livelihoods rely on federal aid think or feel about this?
“I rely on federal funding for my Pell Grant, as well as state grants I receive,” JMU student Ameiya Robinson said.
“I am very lucky to also be in Valley Scholars and Centennial Scholars programs. Both programs are funded partially through direct JMU funds. Valley Scholars is only available for students in the surrounding Harrisonburg area, and I had to apply in my seventh-grade year of middle school,” Robinson said.
So many students at JMU and universities around the country are in this situation. Robinson not only taps into federal aid, but also scholarship programs funded by JMU, which are also related to the government, as JMU is a public institution.
Not only that, but she still needs a job to live her life in college, to rebut those who may read this and think that she could do more to need less aid.
The Centennial Scholars program includes stipend to pay rent, groceries, and book fees.
“While I have both of these scholarship programs on top of federal grants, I still keep a job year-round to support my car payment and disposable income,” Robinson said.
“The only reason I have been able to get a higher education is because of the funding I receive,” Robinson said. “There are millions of us relying on aid because our parents cannot support us. For example, I was self-sufficient and relied on myself since I was 15, with zero financial help once I was able to start working.”
Robinson isn’t worried for herself, as she works many hours at her job and has her grants secured, but for future students, who may have less opportunity for application-based grants or aid, along with federal Pell Grants or subsidized loans.
“I was told by financial offices that I would be grandfathered in, and current students wouldn’t see a change in their aid, just new incoming students,” Robinson said.
“It’s unfortunate the amount of incredibly bright minds who will not be able to have my experience and get the education they deserve due to these policies and due to the lack of generational wealth within their families.” Robinson said.
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