Thanks to Blunt-Led Effort, Missouri Students Now Eligible to Apply for Year-Round Pell Beginning July 1

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, today commended the Department of Education’s announcement that year-round Pell Grants will be available to students beginning July 1. Blunt secured the year-round Pell provision in the FY 2017 government funding bill.
 
“Going to school year round allowed me to become the first person in my family to earn a college degree, and to do it in three years,” said Blunt. “Restoring year-round Pell Grants will help more students stay on track for graduation, enter or re-enter the workforce sooner, and graduate with less debt. I was proud to lead efforts to restore year-round Pell, and I hope students will take advantage of this opportunity to advance their education and secure their future.”
 
As Labor/HHS chairman, Blunt, a former history teacher and president of Southwest Baptist University, led efforts in Congress to restore year-round Pell Grants. Currently, many full-time students and some part-time students exhaust their full benefit after two semesters. Restoring year-round Pell will help an estimated one million students stay enrolled in classes throughout the year, which will lower their student debt and accelerate completion of their degree program.