Congress at it again yall! They have decided to tighten the eligibility rules for Pell Grant applications, these rule changes are set to start on July 1, 2012. Pell Grants were and are designed to help those from families of modest means afford college, due to its successfulness, the number of those who apply has more than doubled in the last ten years. The number has risen from 9.5 million in 01' to 19.4 million in 2011, while the costs of the program has tripled from ten million in 01' to 34.9 million in 2012.
One of the Pell Grant provisions being discarded is the Ability-To-Benefit (ATB) test. Reading Comprehension, Sentence Structure, and Arithmetic Skills are the three ATB tests measures. This test is a requirement for those who wanna apply for a Pell Grant, but don't have a h.s. diploma or a G.E.D. certification. The removal of the ATB option will most definitely affect minorities and low income citizens. This test is for many, the gateway to higher education. The numbers say it all...according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2008), those with bachelor's degree earn twice as much as those with a h.s. diploma, $42,783 to $21, 569, also 24 % of African-Americans students receive Pell Grants. To all those who want to take the ATB test, the deadline is July 1, 2012.
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