Containing the costs of a college education has, for good reason, become an issue of national concern. OGCR, on behalf of the university, advocates for increasing financial aid for students. According to the NAICU’s 2015-16 figures, GW’s total loan volume for student federal loan programs was more than $250 million. Thousands of GW students also benefit from a variety of federal need-based loans, including Pell Grants (1,564 awards for 2015-16) and Perkins Loans (2,753 awards). The university continues to work with the federal government to help ensure that qualified students, regardless of financial resources, can take full advantage of a GW education.
For the ninth consecutive year, GW’s Board of Trustees voted to limit increases in the overall cost of attendance (tuition, fees, room and board) for entering freshmen to under four percent. Plus, GW President Steven Knapp is a vocal leader on this issue within the higher ed community, having created both a university-wide Task Force on Access and Success and participated in several meetings on the issue, including a college affordability summit at the White House.