Ed Department Responds To Rep. Messer, Agrees To Restore Pell Grant Eligibility To Former ITT Tech Students

WASHINGTON (Oct. 28, 2016) — In response to urging by Rep. Luke Messer (IN-06), the U.S. Department of Education today announced it will  restore Pell Grant eligibility to students 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.

Messer sent a letter to the Education Department earlier this month, after he realized the Department was refusing to restore Pell Grant eligibility to ITT Tech students, leaving them with few options to finish their degrees.

The Education Department responded to Messer’s letter today, saying it would reverse its previous decision and reset Pell Grant eligibility to these students, per Messer’s suggestion that Section 437(c)(3) of the Higher Education Act required this action.

“ITT Tech closed largely at the hand of federal bureaucrats, yet they had no back up plan for the students who would be impacted the most,” Messer said. “For many low-income students, Pell Grants are their best shot to attend college and secure a better future for themselves. I’m relieved that the Education Department is doing right by these students and ensuring they have a path forward to continue their education.”

It’s estimated that the Education Department’s decision today could help more than 16,000 students.

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.

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.