Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (Pell Grant)
1972
was proposed and championed by
Senator Claiborne Pell (D-RI) and signed into law by President Richard Nixon on June 23, 1972.
Provided free grant money (not loans) to help low-income students pay for college.
Original Name: The program was originally called the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (BEOG).
Renamed: In 1980, Congress renamed the program to the Pell Grant in honor of Senator Pell's efforts.
Purpose: To make higher education acce