Jeremy Wright-Kim speaks with the Michigan Daily about the provision for expanded Pell Grant eligibility in H.R.1

H.R.1 (also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), the spending and tax bill championed by President Donald Trump, includes expansion of Pell Grant eligibility, modifications to repayment plans, and new borrowing limits on student loans, reports the Michigan Daily. Pell Grants, which are intended for students from low-income households, will now be available to students attending shorter-term certificate programs, such as trade schools. Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education Professor Jeremy Wright-Kim tells the Daily that the change could provide new opportunities for students while also benefitting labor markets.

“These shorter-term certificate programs are good if your local labor market needs to fill that need,” Wright-Kim says. “There are also students who are more likely to be attracted to those programs, like working adults who maybe can’t attend a full-time, longer-term credential program.”