Community Colleges and Pell Grants

The American Association of Community Colleges has released a report on community college students and Pell Grants. Among the findings:

• Nearly 80 percent of Pell Grant recipients attending community colleges in 2009–10 had family incomes of less than 150 percent of the federal poverty threshold, and 60.7 percent were below the poverty threshold for a family of four ($20,000).
• In 2009–10, 98.3 percent of Pell recipients at community colleges had allowable costs associated with attending college in excess of $6,000, and 91.9 percent had allowable costs in excess of $9,000.
• Whereas only 40 percent of community college students enroll full time, nearly double that percentage of community college students receiving a Pell Grant were enrolled full time in 2009–10.