Rhode Island Workforce Pell Grant Program

The Rhode Island Workforce Pell Grant Program implements Rhode Island's state-level eligibility verification and certification process for short-term workforce training programs seeking participation in the federal Workforce Pell Grant Program. Workforce Pell was established under Title IV of the Higher Education Act through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, Public Law 119-21, and expands Pell Grant eligibility to qualifying short-term workforce training programs. In Rhode Island, Governor Daniel J. McKee authorized the Rhode Island Commissioner of Postsecondary Education at the Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner to act as the Governor's designee for program approval. The 2026-2027 process is being launched as a pilot intended to protect students' limited Pell lifetime eligibility, prioritize training connected to quality employment and economic mobility, and allow the state to develop data systems and refine its oversight process. Eligible institutions must be authorized to operate in Rhode Island, accredited by an accrediting agency or entity recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, eligible to participate in Title IV federal student aid programs, and maintain an active Program Participation Agreement with the U.S. Department of Education. Institutions must also be in good standing and must not have been subject to a Title IV suspension, emergency action, or termination during the five years immediately preceding the eligibility determination. Participation is voluntary. For the pilot, programs generally must align with one of Rhode Island's identified priority high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand occupations or qualify as Related Technical Instruction within a Registered Apprenticeship Program. Programs must have operated in their current configuration for the 12 months preceding application and must satisfy the applicable federal program requirements. An eligible program must provide at least 8 but fewer than 15 weeks of instruction and meet the applicable instructional-hour requirement, including 150-599 clock hours, 4-15 semester or trimester hours, or 6-23 quarter hours. Programs cannot use correspondence courses, study abroad, or credit or clock-hour equivalencies that are part of direct assessment. A program must lead to a recognized postsecondary credential that is stackable and portable across more than one employer, unless it prepares students for an occupation having only one recognized postsecondary credential and provides that credential upon completion. Students must also receive academic credit applicable toward at least one certificate or degree program at one or more eligible institutions. Programs must demonstrate a completion rate of at least 70 percent within 150 percent of normal completion time and a placement rate of at least 70 percent, measured by employment during the second quarter after program exit. Instruction supplied through an ineligible institution or organization generally may not exceed 25 percent, with a different threshold applying to related instruction for a Registered Apprenticeship. Institutions must submit a separate completed application for each proposed program electronically using the instructions available at http://riopc.edu/WorkforcePell. The review begins with a baseline compliance review using a required program data worksheet. The state evaluates institutional eligibility, program format, operating history, occupational or Registered Apprenticeship alignment, employer alignment, and evidence that credentials are stackable and portable. Programs passing this review proceed to student-level data verification after execution of a data sharing agreement. The student data are used to verify the required completion and placement rates, and qualifying programs are presented to the Governor's Workforce Board for consultation. Programs meeting all requirements receive State Workforce Pell Program Certification, which the institution must then submit with other required documents to the U.S. Department of Education for federal review and approval. Required evidence includes documentation supporting credential stackability, portability, employer-aligned competencies, credit articulation, and the institution's Program Participation Agreement. Employer alignment generally requires three letters of support from employers or one letter from an industry association representing a group of employers. The evidence must verify that the program's skills and competencies meet current hiring requirements and that employers are currently hiring or plan to hire for the occupation. Related Technical Instruction applicants must document their formal connection to a Registered Apprenticeship Program registered with the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training and demonstrate that the related instruction meets the other applicable Workforce Pell requirements. Institutions bear the burden of substantiating this relationship. Applications for the 2026-2027 pilot approval process are accepted from August 14, 2026 through September 16, 2026. Internal completeness, program screening, and data verification occur from August through November 2026, with Governor's Workforce Board consultation scheduled for September through October 2026. State certification or application denial notices are expected in November 2026. Institutions receiving certification must forward it to the U.S. Department of Education as soon as it is received. An institution denied eligibility may file a written appeal electronically at WorkforcePell@riopc.edu within 30 calendar days after receiving the determination. The guidelines anticipate an appeals filing window from mid-November through mid-December 2026, and a final administrative decision generally must be issued within 60 calendar days after receipt of an appeal. After approval, institutions have ongoing compliance obligations. Each subsequent year they must submit program-level data and student-level data and report published tuition and fees through the process established by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Institutions must also notify the Rhode Island Postsecondary Commissioner within five business days of specified federal submissions, federal decisions, or voluntary program discontinuation. Substantive program changes affecting matters such as program length, credential level, or core competencies may require renewed state and federal review. Workforce Pell awards to individual students are determined at the federal level and prorated based on program length relative to a full academic year; the Rhode Island guidelines do not state a fixed award floor, award ceiling, total program funding amount, or number of awards. Students must complete the FAFSA and meet standard Pell need-based requirements. Students with a bachelor's degree may be eligible, students with a graduate degree are not eligible, and a student cannot receive a regular Pell Grant and a Workforce Pell Grant concurrently.

Confirm the program has operated in its current configuration for at least 12 months before applying; demonstrate exact alignment with a Rhode Island priority occupation or qualifying Registered Apprenticeship Related Technical Instruction; document employer hiring demand and required competencies with the specified employer or industry support; provide strong evidence that the credential is stackable and portable or document the sole recognized credential exception; document academic-credit articulation; verify the program can satisfy both the 70 percent completion rate and 70 percent placement rate before submission