Stimulus Funds Give Oregon Pell-Grant Recipients a Boost
Funding from President Obama’s stimulus plan will soon reach Oregon
college students in the form of almost $280 million in Pell Grant
funds, a 41-percent jump over the previous year, reports the
Portland Business Journal (“Stimulus boosts Oregon Pell Grants to
$279.4 million,” March 31, 2009).
This funding boost will translate to about a $500-award increase for
Oregon Pell Grant recipients, which the students can use to offset
the $18,500 in tuition it costs on average to attend one of the
state’s six public institutions.
Approximately 10 percent of the nearly 180,000 students who enroll
in Oregon’s public colleges and universities during the 2009–10
school year will benefit from the stimulus money; they could see
their maximum Pell Grant award bumped up to as much as $5,350.
Donna Fossum, student financial aid director at Western Oregon
University, says the new maximum award amount is almost enough to
cover all tuition costs at her institution, at which about one-in-
four students rely on Pell Grants to help pay for college.
At Portland State University, Oregon’s largest institution by
enrollment, more than 45 percent of the school’s 27,000 students
receive Pell Grants, the Portland Business Journal reports.
It’s “amazing” that Oregon college students are getting the extra
money for school, says Mary Moller, the associate director of
government relations for Portland State University.
Although the $500 increase may not seem like a deal big, says
Phillip Rodgers, director of student financial aid at PSU, it
matters to students. “They’re watching closely. Everything (that)
helps them be able to afford going to school helps.”
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