TITUSVILLE, Pa. – Nearly 50 University of Pittsburgh at Titusville students from the region will have their Pell grants doubled when they return to school in the fall.
Last week, officials from the University of Pittsburgh announced the creation of the Pitt Success Pell Match Program, which will match dollar for dollar the Pell grant amount students receive. The program, which will begin this fall, will benefit current students as well as new students who enroll this fall and receive a Pell grant.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Pell Grant program provides need-based grants – money that does not have to be paid back -- to help promote access to postsecondary education for the neediest students. Students whose total family income is $50,000 a year or less qualify. In addition to income, grant amounts depend on several other factors, including the cost of attendance and if the student will attend full or part time.
For Pitt-Titusville students from Crawford, Erie, Mercer, and Venango counties, the average Pell grant award was $4,756 and the total amount awarded was $183,663 for the 2018-19 academic year.
Overall, 53.8 percent of Pitt-Titusville students receive a Pell grant. In Crawford County, 53.2 percent of students receive a Pell grant; in Erie County, 68.4 percent; Mercer County, 50 percent; and Venango County, 53.1 percent.
“This new Pitt Success Pell Match Program will have an enormous impact on students from the local area,” said Lawrence Feick, Pitt-Titusville’s interim president. “Receiving matching Pell grant dollars will lighten their financial burden, reduce the amount of money they need to borrow and ultimately help them achieve their Pitt degree with less debt when they graduate.”
The new program will not only benefit current Pitt-Titusville students but incoming students as well, according to Dr. David Fitz, Pitt-Titusville’s campus dean.
“The Pell Match program opens the door to many prospective students with the desire and qualifications to be able to attend. It will decrease the financial burden of attending, allowing students to focus more on being academically successful.”
For more information on the Pitt Success Pell Match program, visit https://www.titusville.pitt.edu/news/PellMatch or contact the Financial Aid office at 814-827-4495 or UPTaid@pitt.edu.