The Ryan budget would negatively affect low-income high school students, displaced workers and other adults seeking higher education. Pell grants assist more than 21,000 Maine students in meeting college costs. At the University of Maine, 27 percent of students receive grants. At the University of Maine at Augusta the figure is 45 percent. The maximum amount of the grant is set at $5,500 and pays for about one quarter of the total cost of one year as a residential student at Maine’s pubic universities. Under Ryan’s plan, there would be no cost-of-living increases to cover future increases in college costs. Most students on Pell grants also take out subsidized Stafford student loans, which are federally backed loans that charge 3.4 percent interest and exempt students from paying interest when they are in school. Ryan’s budget would eliminate this program and replace it with unsubsidized loans at 6.8 percent interest.
http://bangordailynews.com/2012/09/18/opinion/how-the-ryan-budget-would-impact-maine-schools-and-students/
