The Widening College Access Gap: Pell Grant Disinvestment and Declining Student Enrollment in the South

This policy and research brief — produced by The University of Alabama’s Education Policy Center (UA-EPC) for the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) — addresses the impact of inconsistent funding for Pell Grants and their power as a tool for supporting students to and through college. Federal and state policymakers should push for higher levels and steadier Pell Grant funding. Policymakers in the South should especially make consistent and reliable Pell Grant funding a top priority in the federal budget, with an eye toward a better-prepared and more skilled workforce to keep the region and nation economically competitive.