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Student Financial Aid: Most Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants Are Awarded to Needy Students

HRD-92-47 Published: Jan 31, 1992. Publicly Released: Jan 31, 1992.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (SEOG), focusing on: (1) whether educational institutions awarded SEOG to Pell Grant recipients with the lowest expected family contributions (EFC) first and non-Pell Grant recipients with the lowest EFC second; and (2) the Department of Education's data on SEOG distributions to institutions and their students.

Recommendations

Matter for Congressional Consideration

Matter Status Comments
If Congress wishes to more equitably distribute SEOG funds among Pell Grant recipients, it may wish to consider amending the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require that the Department of Education allocate SEOG funds to institutions proportionately based on the dollar amount of Pell Grants their students receive.
Closed – Not Implemented
The reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, P.L. 102-325, did not adopt the recommendation. It is unlikely that any action will be taken on the recommendation in the forseeable future.

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Topics

College studentsColleges and universitiesDisadvantaged personsEducational grantsEligibility criteriaGrant administrationHigher educationIneligible granteesStudent financial aidStudents