The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to establish the new Workforce Pell Grant program on Friday.
Established by the federal budget reconciliation bill in 2025, Workforce Pell Grants expand traditional Pell Grant eligibility to programs that are between 8-15 weeks, lead to a high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand job, result in a recognized postsecondary credential, and articulate credit into a certificate or degree program, among other requirements.
“With this proposed rule, we take an important step toward building a stronger postsecondary education system — one where the Federal government invests in short-term, high-quality programs aligned with a State’s workforce needs, creating new affordable pathways to upward mobility for America’s students and their families,” said Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent in a press release. “A great education and a better life do not necessarily require a traditional four-year college experience. Starting this summer, students will have more postsecondary options thanks to the Trump Administration.”
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In December, the DOE held a negotiated rulemaking process to develop new rules for Workforce Pell Grants. In one week, negotiators reached an agreement on draft regulations, which were used as the basis of the DOE’s consensus rule. The NPRM reflects some refinements and additions since the December draft regulations, including an impact assessment that estimates Workforce Pell will have a net budget impact of $3 billion from fiscal year 2026 to fiscal year 2035. An average of 187,000 students are expected to receive Workforce Pell grants each year, which would, at the high end of estimates, increase enrollment in short-term certificate programs by roughly 13%.
Now, the consensus rule is open to public comment before a final rule is published.
To make a public comment, use the Federal e-Rulemaking portal. You will have the opportunity to comment, attach files, and indicate if you are an individual, organization, or prefer to comment anonymously.
Comments are due by April 8, 2026 at 11:59 EST. As of Tuesday morning, the consensus rule had received four comments.
“For your comments to have maximum effect in developing the final regulations, we urge you to clearly identify the specific section or sections of the proposed regulations that each of your comments addresses and to arrange your comments in the same order as the proposed regulations,” the rulemaking portal says. “The Department will not accept comments submitted after the comment period closes.”
The department said it “may make changes to the rule in response to public comments.”
As the federal government continues the rulemaking process, states are working to identify potentially eligible programs ahead of Workforce Pell’s anticipated launch on July 1, 2026. Under the law and proposed regulations, governors must approve any eligible program before a federal approval process takes place.
In North Carolina, N.C. Community College System President Jeff Cox said last month that fewer programs may ultimately qualify for Workforce Pell in the state than previously thought due to the program’s federally established eligibility criteria.
Eligible programs must demonstrate a 70% completion rate, a 70% job placement rate within 180 days, and a positive return on investment — demonstrated through a value-added earnings requirement.
“Just out of these initial screens — the number of hours and then the job placement and the completion rates — I think only about 4% or so of our overall short-term credential programs are going to qualify,” Cox said.
Since November 2025, staff from the Governor’s Office, Department of Commerce, and higher education agencies have worked with Education Strategy Group, a national consulting firm, to develop the state’s Workforce Pell approach.
State leaders previously said they hope to have a draft policy and application for Workforce Pell in April that would be available for public comment. On May 13, the NCWorks Commission, the state’s workforce development board, would review the policy and application.
“Assuming that the federal level has put out their final guidance, we would then plan to have an application available sometime in late May,” said Andrea DeSantis, assistant secretary for workforce solutions at the N.C. Department of Commerce. “This would give us enough time to approve initial applications before the July deadline.”
For more information about the federal public comment process, the rulemaking portal says to contact the Office of Postsecondary Education’s Aaron Washington at 202-987-0911 or by email at aaron.washington@ed.gov.
Analisa Sorrells Archer contributed reporting to this article.
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