‘Somebody Did Something’: Pell-Eligible Community College Student Perceptions of Financial Aid

With tuition increasing at a faster rate than inflation, many college students depend on financial aid to access education. The largest form of federal aid is the Pell Grant, which subsidizes over 30 billion a year worth of tuition for eligible students. While the ED is not required by Congress to measure success outcomes for Pell recipients, quantitative research has produced mixed results. Researchers have explored what causes Pell-eligible students to fail or persist, but the reasons can be varied and intersectional. However, little research exists on the student perspectives of financial aid, apart from their financial literacy or their experience with student loans. This mixed-methods study examines the experiences Pell-eligible community college students have with financial aid, as well as their perceptions of where the aid comes from, and how it actually impacts their success. This study adds to the literature on financial aid from the student perspective, rather than focusing on the models of determining aid and the methods of delivering aid. The findings highlight the perceived financial gap that exists between receiving Pell and having “enough” as well as the critical knowledge gaps that many Pell-eligible students have in understanding where their aid comes from.