Rep. Messer urges Dept. of Education to restore Pell Grant eligibility to ITT Tech students

WASHINGTON (Oct. 12, 2016) — Rep. Luke Messer (IN-06) is urging the U.S. Department of Education to restore Pell Grant eligibility to approximately 16,000 students nationwide who were using the grants to attend ITT Technical Institute when it abruptly closed last month.

Federal Pell Grants are provided to low-income students pursuing postsecondary education, and lifetime eligibility for the need-based grants is limited.

The Department of Education is currently telling former ITT Tech students it will not restore or “reset” their Pell Grant eligibility, leaving many of these students with few options to finish their degrees.

“For many low-income students, Pell Grants are their best shot to attend college and secure a better future for themselves,” Messer said. “ITT Tech closed largely at the hand of federal bureaucrats at the Education Department, and for them to now leave these students high-and-dry is a disgrace.”

In a letter sent to the Education Department, Messer urged the Department to immediately reverse its decision so that these students are not harmed and questioned why the Department is not using its statutory authority to take such action. 

According to U.S. House of Representatives legal counsel, Section 437(c)(3) of the Higher Education Act requires the Education Department to restore Pell Grant benefits for students who are unable to complete their course of study due to the closure of an institution. 

“It’s frustrating that the Department did not do its homework to ensure students were protected and had options before taking action against ITT Tech,” Messer said. “Students should not be blamed for this closure, and we must do everything we can to ensure they have the opportunity to continue their education.”

Based in Indiana, ITT Tech operated 130 campuses nationwide and served about 40,000 students when it announced on Sept. 6, 2016 that it would close. The announcement followed an Aug. 25 decision by the Education Department to prohibit the institution from enrolling new students using federal student aid.

Messer has also authored a bill that would allow veterans to recover their GI Bill educational benefits if they were using their benefits at a college or university that closes, preventing them from completing their degree.

The bill (H.R. 6003) would apply to the nearly 7,000 veterans who were enrolled at ITT Tech at the time it closed.