Students obtaining degrees in fields that require clinical hours are often considered part-time and not eligible for the full amount of Pell Grant money. This is largely due to clinical courses only being assigned 6 credit hours regardless of how many hours a week students are at their clinical sites plus other courses being taken.
At one institution in particular, students spend at least 15 hours a week at clinical sites alone. This does not include class time on campus, travel time, homework, tests, practicals, studying and competencies. The heavy work load prevents full-time employment making the Pell Grant insufficient to pay for the cost of living.
It is our hope that this petition will grant these students the financial aid they have earned that is comparable to their work loads.