History
Workforce Pell was enacted via the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) on July 4, 2025, to expand federal Pell Grant eligibility and address workforce shortages.
Program Goals
The goal of Workforce Pell is to help low-income students access short-term, career-focused training without needing a full degree, boosting employability in in-demand sectors such as health care, manufacturing, IT or skilled trades.
Student Benefits
Students can receive prorated amounts from the maximum Pell award (currently $7,395, adjusted annually). There is no repayment required, and eligibility for stackable credentials can lead to further education.
Click Here to Apply
How to apply using the Academic Affairs online portal
How to Register
- Click Request Account
- Required Information: First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, Password, Confirm
- You will then need to wait for approval to be able to proceed.
Click here to view a PDF preview of the New Mexico Workforce Pell application before creating and submitting your application.
Federal law requires eligible workforce programs to:
- Operate for at least 8 weeks but less than 15 weeks;
- Include between 150-599 clock hours, 4-15 semester or trimester credit hours, or 6-23 quarter credit hours;
- Be offereed by a Title IV eligible institution; and
- Meet federal completion, job placement, and value-added earning requirements.
Governors, in consultation with state workforce boards, approve programs that:
- Prepare students for high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations or sectors; Align with employer hiring needs;
- Lead to stackable and portable recognized postsecondary credentials or credentials required for employment; and
- Provide pathways into furture certificate or degree programs through transferable academic credit.
The U.S. Department of Education determines final eligibility by reviewing:
- Program completion and job placement outcomes; and
- A value-added earnings measure comparing program tuition and fees to graduate earnings outcomes.
| Find a state-approved program | Complete the FAFSA | Enroll and receive your award |
|---|---|---|
A list of New Mexico-approved Workforce Pell programs will be posted on the NMHED Workforce Pell Website once final approval is issued.
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Apply at StudentAid.gov Apply early; deadlines vary by institution. Students who already hold a bachelor's degree must have their Workforce Pell eligibility manually verified in the federal system by their institution's financial aid office. Students who have earned, or are enrolled in a program leading to a graduate credential, are not eligible. | Once enrolled in an approved program, your institution will confirm eligibility and award funds. Students may not receive a Workforce Pell Grant and a standard Pell Grant concurrently. Awards count toward the 12-semester lifetime Pell limit. NMHED does not award funds. Students must contact their institution regarding awards.
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High-Skill Occupations
Occupations that have a typical education needed for entry higher than a high school diploma or equivalent; or
Occupations that have a typical education needed for entry equal to a high school diploma or equivalent and typical on-the-job training of moderate-term on-the-job training, long-term on-the-job training, apprenticeship, or internship/residency
High-Wage Occupations
Occupations with a median wage that is greater than or equal to the median wage across all occupations within the state.
High-Wage Sectors
Industries at the two- or three-digit industry (NAICS) code that have an average weekly wage that is greater than or equal to the average weekly wage across all industries within the state.
In-Demand Occupations
Occupations that have projected annual openings greater than or equal to the openings of at least 75 percent of all occupations (top 25th percentile for openings) for the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) or workforce region, and that have a projected percentage growth of employment that is higher than or equal to the average percentage growth for all occupations in the area.
In-Demand Sectors
Priority sectors that are identified in the New Mexico Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) state plan or identified as a Regional Priority in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Community Local Needs Assessments (CLNA).
- New Mexico WIOA state plan priority sectors-starting on p.24
- New Mexico Regional Priorities for CTE: (Column B)
- CTE Regions
Stackability
A credential is considered stackable when it is part of a sequence of credentials that can be accumulated over time to build an individual’s qualifications and support advancement along a career pathway or career ladder, including progression to different or potentially higher-paying jobs.
Portability
A credential that is recognized and accepted as verifying an individual’s qualifications in other settings — such as other geographic areas, other educational institutions, or other industries or businesses.
Credit Articulation
Credit articulation refers to the process by which learning completed through a noncredit workforce program or credential can be recognized for academic credit and applied toward a credit-bearing certificate or degree program. Articulation provides students with a pathway to continue their education without unnecessarily repeating equivalent coursework or competencies.
SOC Code
The 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system is a federal statistical standard used by federal agencies to classify workers into occupational categories for the purpose of collecting, calculating, or disseminating data.
CIP Code
The Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) provides a classification structure that supports the accurate tracking and reporting of fields of study and program completion activity.
Which types of institutions are eligible for Workforce Pell? | Only accredited higher education institutions that are already authorized to participate in federal student aid under Title IV of the Higher Education Act are eligible to offer Workforce Pell programs. Independent, non-Title IV training entities cannot participate on their own but must partner with an eligible Title IV school. |
| What does the New Mexico approval process look like? | Once an institution submits an application, it will follow the process described below. An application may be denied at any point in this process. Initial NMHED and NMDWS staff review → NMHED and NMDWS Leadership review → Workforce Pell Committee of State Workforce Board → Governor’s Office review and approve → U.S. Department of Education final review and approval. |
| What are the application deadlines, review timeline, and notification process? | For the first year (AY 2026-2027), applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. The review process may take several months from initial submission to final federal approval. NMHED will be inform higher education institutions of the status of their application at each phase in the process. |
| What happens after a program receives state certification? | The institution must submit it to the US Department of Education for final approval. |
| How does an institution apply? | Higher education institutions must request an account on NMHED’s Academic Affairs portal, which they will be prompted to do when clicking the link. The application will become available once that account is requested and subsequently approved. |
| If my institution is using Workforce GRO funds to support a program, can we use Workforce Pell dollars too? | No, the current legislative language for Workforce GRO specifies that it may only support programs not otherwise eligible for financial aid. Therefore, if a program were to become Workforce Pell eligible, it would lose Workforce GRO eligibility. |
| If a program is approved, award amounts may vary for each student? | No. Students must complete a FAFSA application that will determine Workforce Pell eligibility. Not every student will be eligible for Workforce Pell. Not all awards will be the same amount for each student. |
| Does Workforce Pell count toward a student's lifetime Pell eligibility? | Yes. |
| What does the aid award process look like? | Similar to other forms of aid, once the student completes the FAFSA and determines their eligibility, the higher education institution will package that into the student’s total financial aid. |
| Can a new program qualify if it does not yet have completion, job placement, or earnings data? | No. Programs have to show a 70% completion rate and a 70% job placement rate. |
| Will the state gather completion or employment data, or will the institution supply that data? | The institution will supply the data. |
| Is there a minimum cohort requirement for programs to apply? | According to the final federal rule, there must be at least 30 program completers in a cohort for value-added earnings calculations. |
| When can an institution begin advertising that a program is Workforce Pell eligible? | Once the program receives federal approval. |
| Will a statewide list of approved programs be accessible? | Yes, this will be available on the NMHED website as programs are approved. |
Do institutions have to provide evidence that a program is stackable AND portable? | Yes. |
Participation in Workforce Pell carries ongoing data collection and reporting responsibilities. Higher education institutions are expected to maintain the data infrastructure necessary to support federal and state reporting requirements, demonstrate program effectiveness, and facilitate ongoing program evaluation. As part of the application process, institutions will be asked to attest that they can collect and report the data needed to administer Workforce Pell and evaluate program outcomes.
Student-Level Reporting
Students enrolled in for-credit Workforce Pell programs must be reported through all applicable eDEAR files in accordance with existing reporting requirements. Workforce Pell awards for these students must also be reported in the annual eDEAR Student Financial Aid file using the designated Workforce Pell award code.
Students enrolled exclusively in non-credit Workforce Pell programs must also have their Workforce Pell awards reported in the annual eDEAR Student Financial Aid file using the designated Workforce Pell award code. However, these students should not be reported in the eDEAR Student, Student-Course, or Degree files, and courses taken exclusively by non-credit students should not be reported in the eDEAR Course file.
Higher education institutions seeking wage matching for students enrolled exclusively in non-credit programs must contact NMHED to obtain access to the secure server and instructions for submitting the required Social Security numbers.
Data for non-credit students, including Social Security numbers, must never be submitted through unsecured methods, such as the Academic Affairs and Policy Portal or email.
Final Federal Regulations
Dept. of Education Workforce Pell Final Rule
Workforce Pell grant Final rule fact sheet
Resources for States
A Guide for States Implementing Workforce Pell Grants
State Legislative Responses to Education Provisions in H.R.1 The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act
What types of programs could be eligible for Workforce Pell Grants?
National Governor's Association
Resources for Colleges and Universities
High Skill, High Wage...and Now High Stakes
CE-courses-withcredential-in WF-Pell-timeframe-for-12-8-toolkit
EERC SNDP Noncredit-Taxonomy-2.0-2.2025
Questions about the state application process should be directed to NMHED. Questions about federal requirements or Title IV should be directed to the U.S. Department of Education's Federal Student Aid office.
Email NMHED | nmhed.policy@hed.nm.gov |
Email DWS | nmdws.economicresearch@dws.nm.gov |