In 2024, over 180,000 Kansas and Missouri college students received federal student financial aid in the form of Pell Grants, according to the national education research group Education Data Initiative.
For many of these students, especially those coming from low income, minority families, these grants are the difference between attending college and not.
Now, however, the recent turbulent history of aid rollouts and the uncertain future of the FAFSA under the Trump administration — which says it wants to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education — have students worried that they could lose access to these resources altogether.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to go to college at all,” sophomore Kaylee Fillinger told KCUR’s Up To Date. “I’m not sure what I’d do (without these funds). It’s very foggy. I just see college as my future. I’m a first generation student and it's a goal of mine to be the first one in my family to graduate.”
KCUR’s Community Engagement team recently spoke with several Kansas City area college students as part of our efforts to better understand the concerns of our audience around the 2024 elections.
Across these conversations, anxieties over the complication or loss of financial aid was a common concern for the coming years. Several students also voiced frustrations over the chaotic rollout of the previous year’s updated FAFSA.
“I was so stressed,” said Fillinger. “I think it was the day we went back to school, I found out my actual tuition cost because my FAFSA had gotten delayed.”
Complications to student financial aid can affect more than just students and their families. The universities they attend must often spend additional resources to resolve issues quickly before classes begin.
“It can push us quite a bit,” said Dr. Michel McCloud, vice president and provost at Johnson County Community College. “It pushes our staff who have to go back and try to recertify students. We have to run a number of checks to get them in contact with the right people on campus to help complete the process.”
McCloud says that issues with federal student financial aid can often impact university funding due to students choosing to not return to classes because of the growing financial burden.
“Funding from the state level is tied to the number of students you have enrolled,” said McCloud. “So anytime you see a loss in headcount you see an overall loss in state funding.”
- Isaiah Keeps - College Sophomore
- Kaylee Fillinger - College Sophomore
- Dr. Michel McCloud - Vice President & Provost at Johnson County Community College
