JACKSON, Miss—Jackson State University and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College are taking part in a new federal program that aims to increase low-income students’ access to college.
Starting this semester, about 10,000 high school students across the country can use Pell Grants for dual enrollment courses for the first time. Most students pay for dual enrollment without financial assistance, limiting participation to those who have the ability to pay out of pocket.
Along with just 42 other universities and colleges, the U.S. Department of Education selected JSU and MGCCC to participate in the program. The Clarion-Ledger reports. JSU was the only four-year historically black university selected.
The Pell Grant experiment will study whether college graduation rates improve for students who participate.
