President Donald Trump’s administration proposed a $2.3 billion reduction in education funding from last fiscal year, along with cuts or eliminations to several programs supporting students with financial need in the fiscal year 2027 federal budget proposal.
The proposed budget includes the elimination of the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program and Federal TRIO programs. The request would also sharply cut funding for Federal Work-Study, or FWS, and shift 90% of costs to employers.
“The University of California is deeply concerned about the administration’s proposed federal fiscal year 2027 budget,” said UC Office of the President spokesperson Rachel Zaentz in an email.
The proposal also requests a $10.5 billion increase in funding for the Federal Pell Grant program in order to maintain the discretionary maximum award of $6,335, according to the budget document.
Trump’s administration submitted the proposed federal budget April 3.
“This proposal would slash or eliminate funding for many critical federal financial aid and support programs, limiting the opportunity for students to seek higher education and contribute to the workforce,” Zaentz said in the email.
The federally funded work-study program serves 1,348 of the 3,091 UC Berkeley students who have earned funds through the campus Work-Study Program, according to campus spokesperson Adam Ratliff.
The FWS program offers income from part-time employment to both undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, according to the Federal Student Aid website.
“Having work-study has meant I’ve been able to cover my own mundane expenses and transportation costs for when I go home,” said campus freshman Neekta Baghoolizadeh in an email.
Ratliff added that, in this academic year, 5,928 campus students have received Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant awards, a form of need-based grant aid.
“If I didn’t have my work-study job on-campus right now, I would probably be forced to take out a lot more (unsubsidized) loans,” Baghoolizadeh said in the email.
The proposal to eliminate Federal TRIO programs, which support low-income students, first-generation students and students with disabilities, could also impact campus TRIO Student Support Services.
TRIO Student Support Services is a federally funded outreach and student services program that provides holistic counseling, academic support, financial literacy services and more for eligible students, according to the program’s website.
“The budget request marks the beginning of the process, and the University will continue to advocate at the federal level for sustained investments in programs that help our students achieve their educational and professional goals,” Zaentz said.