Pell Grants Need to Focus on Completion As Well As Access

Issue Brief: The Role of Pell Grants in Access, Persistence
& Completion

A recent issue brief from the National Association of Student Financial Aid
Administrators examines the shifting policy emphasis from access to completion
and its effect on financial aid aimed at low-income students. “The Role of Pell
Grants in Access, Persistence & Completion” suggests that completion, rather
than access to higher education, is the new driver of postsecondary policy and
argues that need-based financial aid programs may need to partner with
effective student support services in the near future to ensure continued
public support for low-income and first-generation students.