Workforce Pell Tracker: Which Programs Are Approved, State by State

Programs Approved by the Department of Education

Only these programs can use Workforce Pell today. Each row links to the announcement or official list it comes from.

Dates are from ED's press releases. Des Moines Area Community College's EMT program has no ED announcement; Iowa's official Workforce Pell page lists it as federally approved.

State Approval Isn't Enough

Every program goes through two approvals. The governor, working with the state workforce board, certifies the program on a state certification form. The school then submits it to the Department of Education, which makes the final decision.

The first step moves faster than the second. North Carolina's NCWorks Commission list keeps programs "Approved on both the Federal and State Levels" separate from a much longer list approved at the state level only. New Jersey's list puts it plainly: "Programs become eligible for participation in Workforce Pell when approved by USED." If a school tells you a program is state-approved, ask whether ED has approved it yet.

Official State Workforce Pell Pages

ED's final rule "strongly encouraged Governors to maintain and publish a list of eligible workforce programs," and ED said it "will consider publishing" a national one (91 FR 29262, 29270). Until it does, the state pages below are where approved programs and application news get posted. We found a dedicated official page for 31 states and D.C.; 4 of them post an approved-program list.

Pages checked September 26, 2026. If your state isn't listed, we didn't find a dedicated official page. Ask the school's financial aid office, or your state's workforce development board, whether the program you want has been submitted for approval.

Using Workforce Pell at an Approved Program

1. 1 Confirm with the school that the program is approved by ED, not only by the state, for the term you plan to start.
2. 2 File the FAFSA. There is no separate Workforce Pell application or FAFSA question; the school's financial aid office decides whether you qualify.
3. 3 Check the student rules. Bachelor's degree holders can use Workforce Pell, but students who have a graduate credential or are enrolled in or accepted to a graduate program can't.
4. 4 Ask how much you'll get. Workforce programs are shorter than an academic year, so the grant is a reduced amount; the aid office sets it.

Our Workforce Pell eligibility guide covers the program and student rules in full, and the Workforce Pell screener checks the student side in a minute. We update this tracker as ED announces approvals and log each update on the updates page.