Workforce Pell Deep Dive
Where each state stands on Workforce Pell certification. Because governor and workforce board approval runs state by state, availability is local and moving. This page tracks the process for all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico, and is refreshed monthly.
Last updated: July 8, 2026
40
No verified activity
2
In progress
5
Guidance published
5
Accepting applications
0
Launched
Workforce Pell is a federal program with state-level gates. Before a student in your state can use Workforce Pell at a specific program, that program has to clear two approvals: certification by the state's governor in consultation with the state workforce development board, and approval by the U.S. Department of Education. See the complete Workforce Pell overview for the mechanics.
This tracker reports the state-side status. Every row shows where that state currently stands: whether the state has published a certification process, whether programs are accepting Workforce Pell aid, and where to find the state's list of certified programs when it exists. The federal approval side is a separate step, and a state entry moving from "programs published" to "actively enrolling" means both gates have cleared.
The tracker is refreshed monthly and dated at the top of the page. In this early phase of the program, expect movement almost every month.
Federal artifact
On July 1, 2026, Federal Student Aid published the state Workforce Pell certification form that governors must submit to certify eligible programs. This is the federal artifact the states cited here are working against.
FSA Electronic Announcement (July 1, 2026)No verified public activity from the state on Workforce Pell yet.
Verified movement short of a public process. Enabling legislation signed, a bill with committee hearings, or a governor's announcement, but no application path is published yet.
State has published an implementation framework, eligible-occupations list, or written guidance for institutions. Applications may not yet be open.
State is actively accepting or reviewing Workforce Pell program applications from institutions.
State has approved Workforce Pell programs actively enrolling students.
Fifty states, DC, and Puerto Rico. Rows are alphabetical. Notes summarize the concrete state action; the update date is the date the note is anchored to, so readers can gauge how fresh each row is.
| State | Status | Notes | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlabamaAL | No verified activity | — | — |
| AlaskaAK | No verified activity | — | — |
| ArizonaAZ | No verified activity | — | — |
| ArkansasAR | Guidance published | The Division of Higher Education opened its initial institution application window with a June 30 deadline, per NPR and independent tracker reporting. | Jul 8, 2026 |
| CaliforniaCA | In progress | AB1534, creating a Workforce Pell Grant Advisory Board to assist the Governor's program review, has passed the Assembly floor and is moving through the Senate. | Jul 8, 2026 |
| ColoradoCO | No verified activity | — | — |
| ConnecticutCT | No verified activity | — | — |
| DelawareDE | No verified activity | — | — |
| District of ColumbiaDC | No verified activity | — | — |
| FloridaFL | No verified activity | — Source:FLDOE Workforce Pell page | — |
| GeorgiaGA | No verified activity | — | — |
| HawaiiHI | No verified activity | — | — |
| IdahoID | Accepting applications | The Workforce Development Council is accepting applications for a limited pilot, per NPR and independent tracker reporting. | Jul 8, 2026 |
| IllinoisIL | No verified activity | — | — |
| IndianaIN | Accepting applications | Gov. Braun opted Indiana in on July 1, approved Ivy Tech Community College and Vincennes University as the first institutions to apply, and opened applications through the Commission for Higher Education, with year one targeted at public two-year colleges. | Jul 8, 2026 |
| IowaIA | Accepting applications | The Department of Education launched what it calls the first state Workforce Pell application in the nation; applications opened April 1 with a May 15 priority deadline and a published H3 occupations list with SOC-CIP crosswalk. | Jul 8, 2026 |
| KansasKS | No verified activity | — | — |
| KentuckyKY | No verified activity | — | — |
| LouisianaLA | No verified activity | — | — |
| MaineME | No verified activity | — | — |
| MarylandMD | In progress | The General Assembly passed SB0509 (Higher Education — Workforce Pell Grant Program — Implementation), which the Governor signed May 26, 2026 as Chapter 724. The law empowers the Governor's Workforce Development Board to review programs and work with the Governor on approvals. Application process not yet published. | Jul 8, 2026 |
| MassachusettsMA | No verified activity | — | — |
| MichiganMI | Guidance published | The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity published full determination policies with an approved occupations list; the first application cycle closed June 15, with approval decisions due by August. | Jul 8, 2026 |
| MinnesotaMN | Guidance published | The Office of Higher Education launched an application portal June 4 with a full determination policy and priority occupations list; the first application cycle closed June 30 and reviews are advancing to the Governor for certification. | Jul 8, 2026 |
| MississippiMS | No verified activity | — | — |
| MissouriMO | No verified activity | — | — |
| MontanaMT | No verified activity | — | — |
| NebraskaNE | No verified activity | — | — |
| NevadaNV | No verified activity | — | — |
| New HampshireNH | No verified activity | — | — |
| New JerseyNJ | Guidance published | The Department of Labor and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education collected institutional program data through May 1, and the Governor submitted New Jersey's eligible program list to the U.S. Department of Education at the July 1 launch. | Jul 8, 2026 |
| New MexicoNM | No verified activity | — | — |
| New YorkNY | No verified activity | — | — |
| North CarolinaNC | Accepting applications | Gov. Stein designated the NCWorks Commission as lead agency, and the Commission began accepting Workforce Pell program applications on June 23, with quarterly review cycles. | Jul 8, 2026 |
| North DakotaND | No verified activity | — | — |
| OhioOH | Accepting applications | The Department of Higher Education is accepting program applications year-round, with a published policy, readiness checklist, and eligible CIP code list; programs must align with Ohio's Top Jobs list. | Jul 8, 2026 |
| OklahomaOK | No verified activity | — | — |
| OregonOR | No verified activity | — | — |
| PennsylvaniaPA | Guidance published | The Department of Education published a full implementation framework with an initial eligible-occupations list; the 2026-27 program application window ran March 9 to April 17, and PDE is issuing written eligibility determinations. | Jul 8, 2026 |
| Puerto RicoPR | No verified activity | — | — |
| Rhode IslandRI | No verified activity | — | — |
| South CarolinaSC | No verified activity | — | — |
| South DakotaSD | No verified activity | — | — |
| TennesseeTN | No verified activity | — | — |
| TexasTX | No verified activity | — | — |
| UtahUT | No verified activity | — | — |
| VermontVT | No verified activity | — | — |
| VirginiaVA | No verified activity | — | — |
| WashingtonWA | No verified activity | — | — |
| West VirginiaWV | No verified activity | — | — |
| WisconsinWI | No verified activity | — | — |
| WyomingWY | No verified activity | — | — |
If your state has published Workforce Pell guidance, a program application form, or a certified program list that isn't reflected here, send it over and we will get it into the next monthly refresh. Direct links from state workforce boards, higher-ed agencies, or governor's offices are ideal.
What Workforce Pell is, which programs are eligible, the approval gates, and what to do now.
The student-facing FAFSA path in four steps, plus a section for advisors on how the intake conversation has changed.
The mechanics of each of the three accountability thresholds and what the two-year lockout means for substantially similar programs.
The rules read as an engineering specification: the four data capabilities a program must hold continuously.
The AHEAD Committee rulemaking history, the three significant changes from the NPRM, and the questions the rule left open.
See it on your programs
A 30-minute walkthrough of how Capstone Workforce captures baseline, growth, and readiness data as a byproduct of the training itself, so the 70/70 evidence chain is built continuously instead of reconstructed at deadlines.
Last updated: July 8, 2026