Has Your State Cut Financial Aid for College?

We’re all told how important education is before we even begin school.  But in the real world when times get tough, education takes a backseat to other issues for some states’ policymakers. 

The State Budgets Affect Students’ Budgets 

What to Expect (or Not Expect) from States Cutting Financial Aid 

Florida

• Likely to see merit based financial aid provided by the Lottery go down as revenues stall and decline
• Bright Futures Scholarship changes: no more paying for books, have to pay for classes that are dropped now, have to take 24 credits in a year to renew the scholarship up from 12 credits

Georgia

• Likely to see merit based financial aid provided by the Lottery go down as revenues stall and decline

Illinois

• 50% cut in state's financial aid funds
• No funds for the Monetary Award Program, a need-based grant program

Massachusetts

• 10% cut in the state financial aid budget 
• Mass Grants may drop by $400-500 this coming year

Michigan

• The Promise Scholarship is still up in the air, will be lowered maybe eliminated

Pennsylvania 

• Financial aid like Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency grants haven’t yet been approved because the state’s 2009-2010 budget still isn’t set

Ohio

• Community college: grants of up to $2,496 for low-income students are gone
• 2-year for-profit schools: getting rid of grants up to $4,000 affecting 22,500 students
• 4-year college: 50% plus cut in grants of up to $2,496 for low-income students
• Private school: no more $640 grants for 58,000 students

Utah

• 17% decrease in state cut in higher education funds for the 2009-10 school year
• Total for low-income student grants cut by 50%
• 50% less students will receive the Utah Centennial Opportunity Program for Education grant

West Virginia 

• Likely to see merit based financial aid provided by the Lottery go down as revenues stall and decline

Wisconsin 

• Wisconsin Higher Education Grant won’t be available to nearly 20,000 low income students