The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), also known as the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, established a new type of academic program, known as “eligible workforce programs,” in which students who are enrolled in an eligible workforce program can receive Federal Pell Grants. These programs must meet several criteria to become eligible workforce programs, including certification from the governor of their state. All eligibility criteria are described in the Accountability in Higher Education and Access Through Demand-Driven Workforce Pell (91 FR 29254) final rule.
This Electronic Announcement provides information on the availability of the State Workforce Pell Certification Form for eligible institutions seeking approval from the U.S. Department of Education (Department) to offer an eligible workforce program. The governor, or their designee, will be required to complete a certification form that includes each eligible workforce program for which an institution is seeking Department approval. The governor will provide the completed form to the institution. When the institution is ready to submit the program to the Department for approval, the institution will upload the certification into its Application to Participate in the Federal Student Financial Aid Programs (E-App) as a part of the program approval process. The institution must retain the document received from the governor’s office according to normal Department record-retention requirements.
For policy-related questions about the information in this Electronic Announcement, please email OB3SchoolQuestions@ed.gov.