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Pell Grants for career and trade programs
Of 4,528 clock-hour certificate programs that report a length to IPEDS, 3,793 run 600 hours or more and 614 run 150 to 599 hours, the band Workforce Pell now covers.
The rule
At a for-profit career school or a postsecondary vocational school, a program can use Pell Grants when it runs at least 15 weeks and at least 600 clock hours (or 16 semester or 24 quarter credit hours), and prepares students for work in a recognized occupation (34 CFR 668.8(d)(1)).
Programs of 300 to 599 clock hours and at least 10 weeks can qualify for federal student loans only, under extra conditions (34 CFR 668.8(d)(3)). Since July 1, 2026, some 150 to 599 hour programs can use Workforce Pell instead.
The school must take federal student aid; every school page here says whether it does (IPEDS). The school's financial aid office confirms which of its programs are eligible.
Program lengths by type
| Program | Clock-hour programs | 600+ hours | 150 to 599 hours | Under 150 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetology | 1,112 | 1,087 | 19 | 6 |
| Esthetician | 752 | 673 | 78 | 1 |
| Barbering | 524 | 449 | 70 | 5 |
| Nail tech | 459 | 198 | 255 | 6 |
| LPN/LVN | 248 | 248 | 0 | 0 |
| Welding | 204 | 177 | 23 | 4 |
| Massage therapy | 198 | 195 | 3 | 0 |
| Medical assistant | 148 | 141 | 7 | 0 |
| Automotive | 130 | 130 | 0 | 0 |
| HVAC | 118 | 108 | 9 | 1 |
| CNA | 107 | 23 | 30 | 54 |
| Electrician | 71 | 69 | 2 | 0 |
| CDL | 69 | 8 | 49 | 12 |
| Dental assistant | 59 | 52 | 5 | 2 |
| IT support | 53 | 47 | 4 | 2 |
| Pharmacy tech | 46 | 41 | 3 | 2 |
| Phlebotomy | 44 | 5 | 27 | 12 |
| EMT and paramedic | 41 | 25 | 16 | 0 |
| Billing and coding | 35 | 31 | 3 | 1 |
| Diesel | 23 | 20 | 3 | 0 |
| Culinary | 21 | 17 | 4 | 0 |
| Surgical tech | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Carpentry | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| Home health aide | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Source: IPEDS COST1 2024-25, the length clock-hour schools report for their largest programs. Length alone does not make a program eligible: weeks, school type and approval also count.