Chris Gray, Ph.D.
Founding President, Erie County Community College of Pennsylvania
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to sit down with Joel Natalie during the Talk Erie 4:00 hour. During one segment, Joel asked about our accreditation journey and our ability to help students access federal financial aid. After the interview, a number of you reached out to share your thoughts, so I wanted to take a moment to expand on that conversation for those who may not have had the chance to tune in.
Since November, we have been an officially recognized institution with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). This candidacy status allows us to apply to the U.S. Department of Education for the ability to distribute Title IV funds—better known as federal financial aid, including grants and student loans.
Our staff has been working tirelessly, with the help of a consultant, to prepare our application. Like most bureaucratic processes, this one is incredibly complex. The application itself is extensive, requiring detailed policies, procedures, and safeguards to be in place before submission. While we have been preparing for this moment since our founding in 2021, the expertise of a financial aid consultant is invaluable.
Over the last few months, we've been refining policies carefully to ensure that our infrastructure meets federal standards and to implement the safeguards that come with managing Title IV funds. These safeguards include identity verification, IT security protocols, and strict accounting procedures. Every detail matters because the responsibility of administering federal funds is immense.
Our goal is to submit our application to the Department of Education in June. In a stable regulatory environment, we would anticipate approval by early 2026. However, with recent changes in federal education policies, it's difficult to predict exact timelines. We remain hopeful that we will be able to serve our students in Northwest Pennsylvania with federal financial aid by 2026, but we are also preparing for the uncertainty that comes with these times.
Whenever that day comes, it will be transformative for our students and their families. Federal financial aid primarily comes in two forms: student loans and federal grants. The key difference is that student loans must be repaid while grants are essentially a gift to the student. A student who meets the Department of Education's income guidelines is typically eligible for a Pell Grant, which can provide up to $7,000 per year depending on individual circumstances. This means that a student could attend EC3 full-time without taking on debt.
That being said, EC3 will not be participating in the federal student loan program. There are multiple reasons for this decision, but one of the most pressing is the high student loan default rates in areas with significant poverty. If too many students default on their loans, institutions can lose access to all Title IV funding—both loans and grants. Given that we estimate over half of our students will qualify for Pell Grants, and in some urban areas that number reaches as high as 80–90%, the risk is simply too great.
If you have paid attention to the national news in the last decade, you have seen the vast majority of students who are buried under student loan debt. I understand there are different ideological and political rationales for either the support of or distaste for the federal student loan forgiveness program, but it is necessary that we openly discuss it and talk about how crushing student loans prevent young adults from achieving financial prosperity. It's happening at such an alarming rate that it should give all of us pause. In my own personal case, my ex-wife and I borrowed a little under $17,000; by the time I finally paid my loans off just two years ago, I had paid back over $120,000. Yes, I paid back more than seven times what I borrowed! I know that I am exceedingly fortunate that I had the financial ability to clear my debt, and I know that most borrowers are not so fortunate. Quite simply, we do not want to saddle EC3 students with this kind of debt.
For students who do not qualify for grants but still need financial support, we are working to identify private lenders who may offer student loans. Many of you with college-aged children may be familiar with private student loans or parent loans through private lenders. While this is a different approach, it ensures that students who need additional funding have options.
So, while this is definitely not the way it's usually done, we do still want to help provide students that access. But, I would be remiss if I did not use the space to ask for your support as well. United Way uses ALICE as an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. This is a fancy way of referring to the working poor, the many Americans who live above federal definitions of poverty but still fall below the ability to have savings or build a retirement account. When I was growing up, my family, likely many of your families, were good, hard-working people who contributed to society, but they didn't make enough income or have the familial wealth to build any sort of reserve. There was no extra money to save for post-secondary education for my family and thousands just like us, but that's where we all come in.
At EC3, we believe in access to education for all students, and that's where our foundation plays a critical role. The EC3 Foundation provides financial support through scholarships and an emergency fund for students facing unexpected hardships. Many of our full-time employees contribute to this fund every paycheck, and we see firsthand how these contributions make a difference. Just the other day, in fact, I overheard a student mention that they couldn't afford a sweatshirt, and one of our employees quietly took out their own credit card to make sure that student could show their school pride. It does take a village.
If you've ever been in a position where someone helped you along the way, or if you're fortunate enough to be able to help others now, we would love to have a conversation with you. Every contribution—whether big or small—helps create opportunities for our students, ensuring that financial barriers don't stand in the way of their education. Please join us in living our mission.
Our community: your college.
