Michigan students from the class of 2021 left nearly $90 million in Pell on the table

Either due to not filling out the FAFSA or filling out a FAFSA and then not attending, Michigan high school grads from 2021 left nearly $90 million in federal student grants on the table and did not attend college.

Pell is the largest need-based college grant program in the nation with hundreds of thousands of students benefitting each year.

In order to be awarded Pell dollars, students must fill out a FAFSA form and be deemed eligible based on financial need.

Pell awards have been increasing in recent years and have a maximum grant of $7,395 for the coming 2023-2024 academic year.

However, if a student never fills out a FAFSA, then they will not know if they are eligible for funds. Also, many students fill out a FAFSA, are deemed eligible, but still do not attend college.

The high school class of 2021 in Michigan had one of the lowest FAFSA completion rates in the country ranking 12th nationally for most unused funding.

20,000 students from the high school class of 2021 were likely eligible for Pell but never filled out a FAFSA and never attended college.