. addition to these sources, a large portion of the growth in the college wage premium in the past two decades reflects strong earnings growth among those with advanced (i.e., post-college) degrees. increase in program participation and support from 2008-2009, when the Pell program awarded $18.3 billion in Pell grants to approximately 6.1 million students. The average Pell grant in 2010-2011. undergraduates, representing 77 percent of aggregate spending on undergraduate education. The federal government provided $124 billion in student aid through grants, loans, and work-study, representing...