On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education will publish the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to implement the new Workforce Pell Grant program, which will reflect the consensus reached by negotiators during the first session of the Department’s Accountability in Higher Education and Access Through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) negotiated rulemaking committee in December 2025. Once published in the Federal Register, the public will have 30 days to submit comments. The rule outlines how the Workforce Pell Grant program would expand Pell Grant eligibility to certain short-term, workforce-focused postsecondary programs. The programs would consist of 150–599 clock hours of instruction and would take at least 8 weeks, but fewer than 15 weeks, to complete. The NPRM sets forth eligibility criteria for Workforce Pell programs, including securing approval by a state Governor and meeting certain completion and job placement rate benchmarks. If implemented as proposed, the Workforce Pell program is scheduled to take effect July 1, 2026. As noted, Workforce Pell was negotiated during the first session of the AHEAD rulemaking in December. The Accountability Framework, which was negotiated during the second session in January, has not yet been published. AACS will continue to monitor these developments and keep members updated. | 
