Rep. Carbajal Reintroduces Legislation to Double Maximum Pell Grant Award
By Maria Carrasco, NASFAA Staff Reporter
Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) this month reintroduced the Degrees Not Debt Act, legislation that NASFAA has tracked in the past three congressional sessions, which seeks to help students graduate with less debt.
The bill seeks to double the maximum Pell Grant award – which currently stands at $7,395 – to $14,800 through discretionary funding. If Congress doesn't appropriate up to that amount, mandatory funding would then fill in the gap to increase the maximum award to $14,800. The bill would also amend the Higher Education Act (HEA) to include an annual inflation adjustment to the maximum Pell Grant award, starting with the 2028-29 academic year.
“I firmly believe higher education should be a ladder to success, not a lifetime of financial strain,” said Rep. Carbajal. “Today, student debt is holding back millions of Americans from building the lives they deserve, and that’s not acceptable. My legislation will double the Pell Grant award, helping students graduate with less debt and more opportunity.”
NASFAA, along with other higher education organizations and institutions – including the University of California System, has endorsed this legislation.
“By doubling the Pell Grant and indexing it to inflation, this legislation would make an enormous difference,” University of California Provost Katherine S. Newman said in a statement. “We must invest in the federal financial aid programs that enable students to access a high-quality and affordable education; they represent America’s future.”
Despite the increased attention to the importance of college affordability, today’s maximum Pell Grant award remains at a level similar to fiscal year (FY) 1978, when adjusting for inflation.
“Doubling the maximum Pell Grant and reinstating an automatic inflation adjustment have been longstanding priorities for NASFAA,” said Nalia Medina, NASFAA’s assistant director of government relations. “As the foundational federal student aid program, the Pell Grant must return to its purchasing power so that our country’s neediest students can continue pursuing higher education.”
Publication Date: 10/10/2025
You must be logged in to comment on this page.