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Alabama Community College System says it's concerned, prepared for federal funding cuts
The head of the Alabama Community College System speaks to board members at the system's monthly board meeting on June 11, 2025, at Snead State Community College in Boaz, Alabama. Jimmy Baker told board members that he is worried about budget cuts to federal student aid, but is prepared for a "soft landing."(Screenshot, ACCS YouTube)
The head of the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) said Wednesday that he is concerned about potential cuts to federal financial aid, but also that the system has enough funds in reserve for a 'soft landing.'
'We see it as our mission to make sure that whatever happens at the federal level with the federal dollars, we can manage a soft landing, and we are in a position to do that,' ACCS Chancellor Jimmy Baker said at the monthly meeting of the ACCS Board of Trustees Wednesday morning. 'I don't like the idea that just because some legislation passes, we have to jump and threaten people with their jobs and those kinds of things.'
President Donald Trump's budget proposal, passed in the U.S. House and currently awaiting action in the Senate, includes a 23% reduction to the federal Pell Grant and increasing credit hour eligibility from 12 to 15 hours.
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The Pell Grant is given to students based on their expected family contribution, among other academic factors, and often goes to students with 'exceptional financial need,' according to the Federal Student Aid Office. According to ACCS, its students receive an average of $4,300 in Pell Grants every year, about $500 less than the median ACCS yearly tuition.
'These would lead to some significant changes for our system, but we want our board to know that we are watching this closely, and we will see how this will play out,' Vice Chancellor of Student Success Neil Scott said. 'But we are already putting contingency plans in place for the areas that may impact our colleges.'
Baker said he did not expect things to be 'pleasant.'
'It's not going to be easy. But I see the move with the federal dollars in education diminishing,' Baker said. 'So we have to adjust ourselves, and we can do a lot of that. We're going to do a lot of that because our ultimate mission is offering quality programs to the communities that we serve.'
Despite threats to federal financial aid, Scott announced Wednesday that enrollment for the Fall 2025 semester is up 29.36% over Fall 2024, or 7,976 more students than last year. Scott said that brings the total enrollment to-date to 35,143 across the system's 24 colleges.
'And we still have a couple of colleges that haven't begun registration for the fall yet, but of the 22 colleges that do have fall registrations posted, 21 of those are showing a head count increase,' Scott said.
