With skyrocketing tuition, coupled with the possibility of further cut to the Pell Grants, affording college has become increasingly difficult for students & their families.
Some states, however, are making it even tougher for students to pay for college by allocating much of their state grant aid to students who don’t require financial help. Some of these states are devoting the majority of awards to students based on “merit” such as grades and test scores.
A new report from the Brookings Institute highlights how all 50 states and the District of Columbia allocate their state grants to college students who file for financial aid.
What follows is a list of states that provide the smallest percentage of their college grants based on students’ financial need
- Georgia 0%
- South Dakota 5%
- Mississippi 14%
- Louisiana 16%
- South Carolina 19%
- Tennessee 23%
- Florida 26%
- Idaho 30%
- New Mexico 30%
- West Virginia 44%
In contrast to the states above, the following 14 states allocate 100% of their state grants to students who qualify for financial aid based on need
- Alaska
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Maine
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Texas
- Wyoming
via CBS
