Whether Pell grants should be available in summer isn’t something I have an opinion on. But President Obama just paired that proposal with a bad idea: offering Pell grant recipients a $300 incentive to take 15 credits each semester. A story about it appears in Inside Higher Ed.

The idea has a certain logic. If students are delaying graduation because they don’t take enough courses each semester, then an incentive to take more courses should spur them to graduate sooner.

But not necessarily. Pell grants generally go to students who are less prepared than others; according to a 2012 report from the Pope Center, Pell grant recipients have SAT scores about 100 points lower, on average, than non-Pell recipients. Taking five courses may simply be too much for such students. Furthermore, the typical Pell recipient is financially independent—that is, not a traditional student living with his or her parents—working part-time, sometimes supporting children. Finding time to study for five courses may be a challenge.

As usual, the government is acting as if it knows the motivation, talent, and circumstances of those seeking education. Hubris.