The announcement follows calls from across higher ed to change the FWS program, which was developed more than 50 years ago to give low-income students work experience and help them pay for college. The program divides its roughly $1 billion in annual funding based on how long an institution has participated in the program, as well as on students’ demonstrated need.
Despite its noble intentions, though, some say the program is not making good on them. A recent analysis of FWS by the Urban Institute found the awards tend to skew toward higher-priced schools and to students from wealthier families.
