While the recent health care reform signed into law has caused quite the buzz nationally, an additional piece of legislation that goes with the bill could have significant impact to student loans. Students at St. Cloud State could benefit from this change as the federal Pell Grant is expected to increase as private lenders will be eliminated in the handing out of student loans, allowing the government to put $36 billion additional dollars into the Pell Grant program.

According to the St. Cloud State Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, 4,240 students on campus receive the Pell Grant assistance for an average handout of around $3,600. In the coming years, the maximum grant the government could give could rise to nearly $6,000. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid also claims the transition to direct loans called for by the legislation will be minimal on them, as they already made that change this past year. However, the financial aid office says it is monitoring the bill closely due to the positive impact it is expected to have with the students they work with.