Pell Grants have traditionally been used to fund fall and spring semester studies. When the spring semester was over, the student had to reapply for the next academic year beginning in the fall.

But as more and more students have opted for taking classes over the summer in order to graduate and get a job more quickly, there is demand for year-round Pell Grants.

With the federal government objective of increasing the number of students completing higher education, lack of support for summer school through Pell Grants is counterproductive.

According to a 2009 study by researchers at California State University, Sacramento, students attending summer sessions are three times more likely to finish their degrees.

"If someone who is eligible for a Pell Grant is going full time and wants to continue to pursue their education for the third semester, there is no good reason the program should not allow them to access another grant," advocate Jason Delisle, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, has said.

Leaders such as the presidents of Orangeburg’s two historically black universities are out front in urging Washington’s support for Pell Grants, which are vital to a high percentage of students attending South Carolina State and Claflin.