A newly released study of Kansas community colleges shows the number of students receiving federal financial aid jumped dramatically as the nation struggled to recover from the recession.

The study, “Powered By Pell: A Grassroots Perspective,” focuses on the flow of federal student aid across 17 of the state’s 19 community colleges. It found that from fall 2008 to fall 2010, the number of Pell Grants awarded spiked by 75%.

Women outnumbered male Pell Grant recipients nearly two to one. But over the two years studied, men made up ground. Their use of Pell Grants jumped 85% to 7,513, while women’s use increased 70% to 13,206.

The study was a product of the University of Alabama’s Education Policy Center and Garden City Community College in southwest Kansas.