Pell Initiative for Virginia

The State Council of Higher Education’s (SCHEV) Pell Initiative for Virginia is helping George Mason University increase opportunities for students by providing grant funding to support the recruitment, enrollment, retention, and graduation of Pell-eligible Virginians.

The Pell Initiative for Virginia is a unique and innovative state-supported measure aimed at expanding access to higher education for low-income students in the Commonwealth. This critical work is a part of Virginia’s Pathways to Opportunity strategic plan, aspiring for Virginia to become the “best state for education” by 2030 by focusing on equitable access, affordability, and transformative experiences.

George Mason is working toward this goal by intentionally recruiting and supporting Pell‑eligible Virginians. These efforts focus on four areas: expanding access to high‑quality recruitment, increasing participation in the Early Identification Program, supporting students’ basic needs, and strengthening student success initiatives.

• Expanding Access: $10.7 million in grant funding has been received by George Mason to support pathways to enrollment and degree completion for Pell‑eligible Virginians.
• Financial Support: More than $5 million in direct student aid has been awarded to George Mason students to date.
• Student Engagement: Pell Initiative programming has reached 13% of current Pell‑eligible students at George Mason and thousands of prospective students.

As part of the Pell Initiative for Virginia, George Mason formed two dedicated groups—one focused on conducting research to identify effective, scalable student support strategies and another charged with coordinating implementation and measuring impact across funded initiatives. 

The first group, George Mason’s Institution-Wide Barrier Review Task Force, initiated a self-study to: 

• Understand the existing recruitment operations and ongoing support systems for Pell-eligible students at George Mason 
• Identify best practices for recruiting and retaining Pell-eligible students nationally 
• Gather and explore a rich data set to understand George Mason’s current state for Pell-eligible students 
• Make recommendations for a state-of-the-art approach to meet the needs of George Mason’s student body 

The task force completed the Institution-Wide Barrier Review Report and submitted it to SCHEV for formal review and approval in fall 2025. 

The second group, the Pell Initiative for Virginia Implementation Committee, was established and tasked with coordinating across the various funded initiatives to ensure continuity and impact of programs is measured and sustained. Through regular engagement, this committee will provide progress updates, along with budget planning for future program implementation, assessment, and critical conversations related to ensuring impact of the work. 

The Virginia General Assembly continues to expand the Pell Initiative for Virginia through successive rounds of funding that support scaling initial activities, adopting effective programs, and launching new initiatives.

Committee

Engagement

Thank you for your interest in this initiative. Please submit your questions, comments, and feedback using the Pell Initiative for Virginia form.