WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner released the following statement on today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Education that it has invited Central Virginia Community College in Lynchburg, Va., and Germanna Community College in Fredericksburg, Va., to participate in an experiment allowing eligible high school students taking dual enrollment courses to access Federal Pell Grants:

“We know that low-income students who complete college courses before they finish high school are more likely to graduate from college than their peers who do not. As Governor, my administration prioritized increasing dual enrollment offerings in the Commonwealth because we recognized the potential to improve academic outcomes for students,” Sen. Warner said. “I’m proud to see Central Virginia and Germanna Community Colleges leading the way in supporting our understanding of how Pell Grants promote access to dual enrollment programs for talented, low-income students. This is a great step toward understanding how to better leverage our Pell Grant investment to ensure more students enroll in and complete their postsecondary studies.”

Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges, also expressed support for the announcement.

“College access and college completion are essential to an individual’s success in the 21st century and increasingly so,” said Dr. DuBois. “We have a duty to leverage every tool at our disposal to help more individuals earn a postsecondary credential. Federal Pell Grants and Dual Enrollment are some of the biggest tools we have in that work. Combining them holds great promise. We’re proud to have two Virginia community colleges included in the U.S. Department of Education’s experiment. And we’re delighted to work with Senator Warner, and others, on bipartisan legislation that helps ensure that higher education is not limited to just the privileged or the few.”

The experiment makes dual enrollment—in which students complete postsecondary coursework while still enrolled in high school—an allowable use of Pell Grant dollars for eligible students at the 44 institutions invited to participate. The experiment includes controls to ensure that students meet and maintain academic requirements, receive assistance determining their Pell Grant eligibility, and have access to appropriate student support services.

Sen. Warner has continued to champion bipartisan legislation with similar goals as the dual enrollment Pell experiment. The Go to High School, Go to College Act will increase college access for low-income students by allowing them to earn college credits in high school through the Pell Grant program. The bill includes a retroactive reimbursement mechanism to ensure the effectiveness of participating programs.

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