+My DIL paid her way through college and used to get furious about those who were going for free and flunked out over and over.+
.
My granddaughter is using pell grant for her 2 yr prereq’s for nursing. She has to hold a 2.5 gpa and gpa must increase every semester or the grant gets restricted or suspended by grant administrators at the college. She is carrying a 3.8 gpa after her first 2 full semesters. As far as I know, under current grant regs, there is no way to flunk and get considered for a future grant application to try the courses again or continue.
Don’t get me wrong, I have 3 grandchildren in college, one gets assistance and scholarships, she has a 4 point. The other 2 have scholarships, their parents help and they work.
Your granddaughter is the reason the Pell Grant program was established.
In the past, it has provided upward mobility to millions of Americans and the programs was instrumental helping Americans realize the American Dream.
It provided huge benefits to America as well.
Sadly , that has changed over the last few decades.
As with all government programs that provide “free cash benefits”, fraud and abuse eventually take over the programs.
This has been the case with Pell Grants.
Your grand daughter and he peers attending a legitimate 4 year college or even a 2 year Community College is not the problem.
The problem is that politicians have expanded the definition of what qualifies as an “Educational Institution” eligible to enroll Pell Grant funded students to include fraudulent or frivolous for profit “schools”, many of which have zero academic standards or value.
Some of these fraudulent schools maximize their profits by providing students with transcripts and diplomas without the students even having to attend classes.
If the school fraudulently provides certificatiion that the Student attending their school is making great progress to a degree in Cosmetology and Finger Nail Painting and is in good academic standing with a 3.2 grade average, the the “student” keeps getting his or her annual $11,000 Pell Grant and probably another $15,000 per year in government backed Student loan funds (which the student has no intention of ever paying back).
The school gets it's $4-10,000 per year tuition payment while the “student” gets free money to support themselves and party on the taxpayer dime.
Some of the schools are pure scams that the students knowingly participate in while others are Sham Schools who prey on ignorant and unsophisticated under privileged young people with bogus or worthless educations.
Regardless, the Pell Program needs to be reformed up to bring it back to it's original mission of providing a quality eduction at a quality educational facility to poor students who otherwise would be unable to go to college..
I too, went through nursing school in the 90’s on Pell grants.