Feds spent millions on grants for 500 community college students who failed-out

Data covers students at four NC community colleges

The federal government paid $2.2 million in Pell Grants to about 500 North Carolina community college students who wound up dropping out or failing out of school.

The data came from financial aid records from last school year from Bladen Community College, Brunswick Community College, Cape Fear Community College and Southeastern Community College, as analyzed by by a local news outlet, WECT.

Pell Grants provide need-based aid to low-income students. Those who fail all their classes or withdraw during the last 40 percent of the semester do not have to repay the grants, according to the U.S. Department of Education

Follow the author of this article on Twitter @kctimpf