Washington — If Congress wants more low-income students to enroll in college, it should provide larger Pell Grants to the poorest of them, says a new report out today.

The report, “Window of Opportunity: Targeting Federal Grant Aid to Students With the Lowest Incomes,” asks lawmakers to give up to $750 in additional aid to students whose families are so needy that their expected contribution to tuition is a negative number. Under current law, such students receive the same-size Pell Grant as higher-income students whose expected family contribution, or EFC, is zero.

The idea is already gaining traction in the U.S. Senate. This month, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, a Democrat of Massachusetts, introduced legislation that would allow students with negative EFC’s to receive larger awards. The provision is part of a broader bill aimed at dealing with the credit crunch in the student-loan industry.

The report, which was published by the Institute for Higher Education Policy on behalf of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, also calls on Congress to raise the minimum and maximum Pell awards. That change would provide additional grant aid to the neediest students while ensuring that students with incomes close to the cutoff do not lose their awards. —Kelly Field