U.S. Department of Education Issues Proposed Rules to Implement Working Families Tax Cuts Act’s Workforce Pell Grants

The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) today issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to establish the new Workforce Pell Grant program, a key provision of President Trump's historic Working Families Tax Cuts Act (the Act). Workforce Pell will enable students to use Federal grant funds to enroll in high-quality, short-term programs that offer education in high-skill, high-wage or in-demand industry sectors or occupations.

Starting in July 2026, students will be able to use the Pell Grant to enroll in an eligible workforce program, which could be as short as 8 weeks. Workforce Pell will not only help students complete their educational programs quickly and enter the workforce with little or no student loan debt, but it will also serve as a stepping-stone toward earning a future postsecondary credential.

"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. "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."

"President Trump's historic Working Families Tax Cuts are igniting incredible opportunities for Americans to gain hands-on skills that lead to good-paying jobs," said Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling. "The Department of Labor will continue working closely with the Department of Education to implement America's Talent Strategy and create more effective pathways to success by bridging the gap between education and employment."

The NPRM published today in the Federal Register implements two provisions from the Act. First, it allows students to receive Pell Grants for eligible workforce programs that consist of 150-599 clock hours of instruction and take at least 8 weeks but less than 15 weeks to complete. The proposed rule sets additional eligibility requirements for the approval of eligible workforce programs, including approval by a Governor, after consultation with the State's workforce board. Each program must also meet certain accountability benchmarks, including completion and job placement rates, as well as a value-added earnings measure.

The NPRM is the second of three rules being released by the Department to implement the historic changes in postsecondary education made by the Act. The proposed rule will be open for public comment for 30 days. The Department may make changes to the rule in response to public comments. To review the full NPRM, see here.

Public Comment Period:

Comments on the proposed rules can be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. The Department will not accept comments submitted by fax or email. The Department must receive comments on or before April 8, 2026. The Department will consider and may make changes to the proposed regulations in response to substantive comments.

Background:

Section 492 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) requires that the Secretary of Education solicit public involvement in the development of proposed regulations before publishing a NPRM to implement federal student assistance programs authorized under Title IV. After obtaining advice and recommendations from the public and stakeholders, the Secretary conducts negotiated rulemaking to develop the proposed regulations.

On July 25, 2025, the Department announced its intention to engage in negotiated rulemaking to implement changes made to the HEA by the Act.

On December 12, 2025, the Department concluded the first session of the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) negotiated rulemaking committee, which focused on Workforce Pell over five days of deliberation and negotiations after which all participants supported the negotiated draft regulations. Under the negotiated rulemaking process, the Department moved to publish the agreed-upon regulations in the NPRM.

For more information about the negotiated rulemaking process, see here.

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