WASHINGTON—The U.S. Education Department will be launching a pilot program to place financial aid dollars on debit cards, a move that would allow officials to track how that federal aid is being spent.
The program would begin next month and include up to 100,000 students.
Currently, institutions receive the federal dollars, applying them to students' tuition bills and then provide students with the excess funds, The Hill reported.
Under the program, students would receive the funds on the debit cards. The card would also limit what students could spend the federal dollars on, The Hill said.
Students can currently use additional federal dollars that aren't used on their tuition to cover whatever costs they like, The Hill reported.