July 1 marked the official start of “Workforce Pell,” an expansion of the federal Pell Grant program that for the first time allows low-income students to use grant money for short-term workforce training programs. The expansion, enacted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill in 2025, was designed to help students pay for nondegree courses that lead quickly to jobs in high-demand fields. The U.S. Department of Education and the Congressional Budget Office have estimated the program could serve 100,000 or more students by fall 2027, according to NPR.
But on the first day of the program, the vast majority of the nation’s nondegree workforce programs are not yet eligible. To receive Workforce Pell funding, a program must be between eight and 14 weeks long and include 150 to 599 instructional hours. It must train for an occupation the state has designated as in-demand, high-wage or high-skill, and it must be able to document that at least 70 percent of learners graduate and find jobs in their field. The Institute for College Access and Success has noted that programs must also have been operating for at least one year to qualify.
At St. Paul College in Minnesota, administrators discovered that none of the college’s existing workforce training programs fit the new parameters. A certified nursing assistant course that costs more than $1,000 and runs 112 hours — 38 hours short of the minimum — is a typical example. Students in that program, like Datrina Hurt, 37, a mother of two who is unemployed and paying out of pocket, said the money would make a real difference. “It’ll definitely be an upgrade for me and my two boys,” Hurt said of the $20-an-hour nursing home job she is training for.
“I think maybe a year ago, I was living in a world where I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, July 1 is going to be so great and we’re just going to start handing out money to people,’” Jennifer Huston, executive director of workforce training at St. Paul College, told NPR. “Slowly, as we got closer and closer to July 1, you realize, nope, it’s going to take us a while to get there.”
St. Paul College is planning to combine its CNA course with a Trained Medication Aide certificate program to create a longer version that would qualify. Sarah Carrico, who runs academic affairs at St. Paul College, said the college is also developing new programs specifically designed to meet the criteria. “So even though right now we don’t have any programs that we’re going to apply for Workforce Pell, there’s hope that we can develop some new programs that will also meet the criteria and meet industry demand,” Carrico said.
The college is not alone. “I think the reality that’s setting in is that July 1 is not a floodgate. It is a start point of the marathon,” Carrie Warick-Smith, who oversees federal policy at the Association of Community College Trustees, told NPR. “What I have been telling colleges from the beginning is that they should really treat this year as a pilot year.”
Before colleges can even submit applications, states must publish frameworks identifying which occupations they consider in-demand. Only 11 states have done so, and the lists vary widely. Florida identified 31 career certificate programs, including phlebotomy, commercial vehicle driving and public-safety roles. Michigan published a list of 267 eligible occupations and left it to colleges to decide which programs fit best. Even after a program is identified, colleges must apply for state approval and then federal approval, a process that Carrie Warick-Smith predicted could mean the first students receive Workforce Pell grants no sooner than January 2027.
Data tracking is another barrier. For many nondegree programs, schools and states do not have systems in place to track how many students complete certificates or where they end up employed. Some rely on survey data — contacting graduates directly to ask about their job outcomes.
A small number of colleges are ready to begin. North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene plans to submit Workforce Pell applications for five programs, including its certified nursing assistant course, welding and HVAC. Interim Provost Lloyd Duman said the expansion offers a pathway for students to gain skills, enter the workforce and potentially return for more education later. “This is kind of the beginning of that,” he said.
For students like Hurt in St. Paul, the wait is worth it. “I got my income tax return this year and I figured, I can do a small investment in my life. Why not?” she told NPR. She said that federal help would have let her start training sooner — and that she will be ready to use it when it finally arrives.