College students may be able to start the 2009-10 academic year with a little more cash in their pockets – and the chance to stretch that cash a little further – thanks to Congressional renewal of the higher education act last week.
The bill, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, could help reduce the price of textbooks, will provide students more federal grant money and simplify the financial aid process.
Former ASUO Vice President Chii-San SunOwen, who is currently attending the United States Student Association’s National Student Congress in Madison, Wis., said the association was energized by the legislation’s passage, which was “long overdue.”
The act outlines all of the federal government’s higher education policy and was due for renewal in 2003.
Under new provisions of the act, textbook publishers will have to provide full pricing information when professors are choosing which books to assign, which could allow students more time to shop around and get the cheapest book they can find.
All textbooks will also have to be offered “unbundled” – that is, without added CD-ROMs, workbooks and other frills students may never use.
ASUO Legislative Affairs Coordinator Jose Bustillos said those changes would have helped him in the past. Bustillos said he once had to buy a physics textbook but could not find a used copy. He was left with the choice of buying a new book bundle for an extra $60 or going without the text. He chose the latter.
“I actually did not buy it. I ended up buying it online. I was without a book for 3 weeks,” he said. “I didn’t start out too good that quarter.”
Textbook costs run around $900 per student per year, according to a 2005 government study.
The bill will also raise the maximum amount of Pell grants, which are need-based awards for low-income students, from $4,800 to $6,000 in 2009. In 2014, the maximum amount will increase to $8,000.
Pell grants will also become available year-round, which means students will be able to use the funds during summer term and finish their degrees sooner.
SunOwen said some remained skeptical about the new $6,000 limit, which will need to be finalized during the appropriations process.
“I don’t think it’s quite finalized yet, but any increase is amazing,” she said.
All five Oregon congressmen and Sens. Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith voted for the bill, which passed 83 to 8 in the Senate and 380 to 49 in the House.
“It’s a great step for the federal government to prioritize higher education like this,” ASUO President Sam Dotters-Katz said.
Financial aid applications, known as FAFSA, will be drastically shortened by the legislation. Currently an eight-page form with 108 questions, the form will be cut to two pages with 44 questions.
The bill also requires colleges and universities to be more upfront about the costs of textbooks, tuition and fees, and demands that colleges with sharp tuition increase explain why the increases were needed.
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