Academic and award year
Eligible program
Third party servicer
Definitions for military deferments
Active duty
section 101(d)(1) of title 10The term “active duty” has the meaning given such term in , except that such term does not include active duty for training or attendance at a service school.
Military operation
section 101(a)(13) of title 10The term “military operation” means a contingency operation as such term is defined in .
National emergency
The term “national emergency” means the national emergency by reason of certain terrorist attacks declared by the President on , or subsequent national emergencies declared by the President by reason of terrorist attacks.
Serving on active duty
Qualifying National Guard duty
section 101(d)(5) of title 10section 502(f) of title 32The term “qualifying National Guard duty during a war or other military operation or national emergency” means service as a member of the National Guard on full-time National Guard duty (as defined in ) under a call to active service authorized by the President or the Secretary of Defense for a period of more than 30 consecutive days under in connection with a war, other military operation, or a national emergency declared by the President and supported by Federal funds.
Consumer reporting agency
1
Definition of educational service agency
section 7801 of this titleFor purposes of parts B, D, and E, the term “educational service agency” has the meaning given the term in .
Pub. L. 89–329, title IV, § 481Pub. L. 99–498, title IV, § 407(a)100 Stat. 1476Pub. L. 100–50, § 15(1)101 Stat. 355Pub. L. 101–239, title II, § 2007(b)103 Stat. 2120Pub. L. 101–508, title III, § 3005(b)104 Stat. 1388–28Pub. L. 102–26, § 2(a)(2)105 Stat. 123Pub. L. 102–325, title IV, § 481106 Stat. 609Pub. L. 103–208, § 2(h)(1)107 Stat. 2475Pub. L. 105–216, § 12112 Stat. 908Pub. L. 105–244, title I, § 101(c)112 Stat. 1617Pub. L. 109–171, title VIII120 Stat. 161Pub. L. 110–315, title IV, § 481122 Stat. 3271Pub. L. 111–39, title IV, § 407(b)(1)123 Stat. 1950Pub. L. 114–95, title IX, § 9215oo129 Stat. 2180Pub. L. 119–21, title VIII, § 83002(b)139 Stat. 351(, as added , , ; amended , , ; , (c), , , 2121; , , ; , (3), (d)(2)(A), , , 124; , , ; –(6), , , 2476; , , ; , , ; , §§ 8007(d), 8020(a), (b), , , 177; , , ; , , ; ()(10), , ; , , .)
Amendment of Subsection (b)
Pub. L. 119–21, title VIII, § 83002(b)139 Stat. 351, (c), , , 352, provided that, effective on , and applicable with respect to award year 2026–2027 and each succeeding award year, subsection (b) of this section is amended as follows:
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
“(3)(A) A program is an eligible program for purposes of the Workforce Pell Grant program under section 1070a(k) of this title only if—
“(i) it is a program of at least 150 clock hours of instruction, but less than 600 clock hours of instruction, or an equivalent number of credit hours, offered by an eligible institution during a minimum of 8 weeks, but less than 15 weeks;
“(ii) it is not offered as a correspondence course, as defined in 600.2 of title 34, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on
“(iii) the Governor of a State, after consultation with the State board, determines that the program—
“(I) provides an education aligned with the requirements of high-skill, high-wage (as identified by the State pursuant to section 2342 of this title), or in-demand industry sectors or occupations;
“(II) meets the hiring requirements of potential employers in the sectors or occupations described in subclause (I);
“(III) either—
“(aa) leads to a recognized postsecondary credential that is stackable and portable across more than one employer; or
“(bb) with respect to students enrolled in the program—
“(AA) prepares such students for employment in an occupation for which there is only one recognized postsecondary credential; and
“(BB) provides such students with such a credential upon completion of such program; and
“(IV) prepares students to pursue 1 or more certificate or degree programs at 1 or more institutions of higher education (which may include the eligible institution providing the program), including by ensuring—
“(aa) that a student, upon completion of the program and enrollment in such a related certificate or degree program, will receive academic credit for the Workforce Pell program that will be accepted toward meeting such certificate or degree program requirements; and
“(bb) the acceptability of such credit toward meeting such certificate or degree program requirements; and
“(iv) after the Governor of such State makes the determination that the program meets the requirements under clause (iii), the Secretary determines that—
“(I) the program has been offered by the eligible institution for not less than 1 year prior to the date on which the Secretary makes a determination under this clause;
“(II) for each award year, the program has a verified completion rate of at least 70 percent, within 150 percent of the normal time for completion;
“(III) for each award year, the program has a verified job placement rate of at least 70 percent, measured 180 days after completion; and
“(IV) for each award year, the total amount of the published tuition and fees of the program for such year is an amount that does not exceed the value-added earnings of students who received Federal financial aid under this subchapter and who completed the program 3 years prior to the award year, as such earnings are determined by calculating the difference between—
“(aa) the median earnings of such students, as adjusted by the State and metropolitan area regional price parities of the Bureau of Economic Analysis based on the location of such program; and
“(bb) 150 percent of the poverty line applicable to a single individual as determined under section 9902(2)of title 42 for such year.
“(B) In this paragraph:
“(i) The term “eligible institution” means an eligible institution for purposes of section 1070a of this title.
“(ii) The term “Governor” means the chief executive of a State.
“(iii) The terms “in-demand industry sector or occupation”, “recognized postsecondary credential”, and “State board” have the meanings given such terms in section 3102 of title 29.”
See 2025 Amendment note below.
Editorial Notes
Prior Provisions
Pub. L. 89–329, title IV, § 481Pub. L. 96–374, title IV, § 451(a)94 Stat. 1443Pub. L. 99–498A prior section 1088, , as added , , , defined “institution of higher education” for this subchapter, prior to the general amendment of this part by .
Pub. L. 89–329, title IV, § 491Pub. L. 90–575, title I, § 15182 Stat. 1032Pub. L. 92–318, title I86 Stat. 259Pub. L. 95–180, § 1(b)91 Stat. 1372Pub. L. 95–566, § 692 Stat. 2403Pub. L. 96–49, § 5(e)93 Stat. 352Pub. L. 96–374Another prior section 1088, , formerly § 461, as added , , , renumbered § 491 and amended , §§ 131(c), 137(b), title X, § 1001(c)(3), , , 272, 381; amended , , ; , , ; , , , defined terms for this subchapter, prior to the general revision of this part by .
Amendments
Pub. L. 119–212025—Subsec. (b)(3) to (5). added par. (3) and redesignated former pars. (3) and (4) as (4) and (5), respectively.
Pub. L. 114–95section 7801 of this title2015—Subsec. (f). made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to .
Pub. L. 111–392009—Subsec. (c). substituted “any State, or any private, for-profit or nonprofit organization,” for “or any State, or private, profit or nonprofit organization” in introductory provisions.
Pub. L. 110–315, § 481(1)2008—Subsec. (a)(2)(B). , inserted “and that measures program length in credit hours or clock hours” after “baccalaureate degree”.
Pub. L. 110–315, § 481(2)Subsecs. (e), (f). , added subsecs. (e) and (f).
Pub. L. 109–171, § 8020(a)2006—Subsec. (a)(2). , amended par. (2) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (2) read as follows: “For the purpose of any program under this subchapter, the term ‘academic year’ shall require a minimum of 30 weeks of instructional time, and, with respect to an undergraduate course of study, shall require that during such minimum period of instructional time a full-time student is expected to complete at least 24 semester or trimester hours or 36 quarter hours at an institution that measures program length in credit hours, or at least 900 clock hours at an institution that measures program length in clock hours. The Secretary may reduce such minimum of 30 weeks to not less than 26 weeks for good cause, as determined by the Secretary on a case-by-case basis, in the case of an institution of higher education that provides a 2-year or 4-year program of instruction for which the institution awards an associate or baccalaureate degree.”
Pub. L. 109–171, § 8020(b)Subsec. (b)(3), (4). , added pars. (3) and (4).
Pub. L. 109–171, § 8007(d)Subsec. (d). , added subsec. (d).
Pub. L. 105–244section 1002 of this title1998— redesignated subsecs. (d) to (f) as (a) to (c), respectively, and struck out former subsecs. (a) to (c) which defined the terms “institution of higher education”, “proprietary institution of higher education”, and “postsecondary vocational institution”. See .
Pub. L. 105–216Pub. L. 105–244Subsec. (a)(4). , which directed the amendment of par. (4), effective 1 year after , by designating existing provisions as subpar. (A), redesignating former subpars. (A) and (B) as cls. (i) and (ii), respectively, of subpar. (A), and by adding subpar. (B) to read as follows: “Subparagraph (A)(i) shall not apply to a nonprofit institution whose primary function is to provide health care educational services (or an affiliate of such an institution that has the power, by contract or ownership interest, to direct or cause the direction of the institution’s management or policies) that files for bankruptcy under chapter 11 of title 11 between July 1, and .”, could not be executed because subsec. (a) did not contain a par. (4) subsequent to amendment by . See above.
Pub. L. 103–208, § 2(h)(1)1993—Subsec. (a)(3)(B). , inserted before semicolon at end “, except that the Secretary, at the request of such institution, may waive the applicability of this subparagraph to such institution for good cause, as determined by the Secretary in the case of an institution of higher education that provides a 2-year or 4-year program of instruction for which the institution awards an associate or baccalaureate degree”.
Pub. L. 103–208, § 2(h)(2)section 1091(d) of this titleSubsec. (a)(3)(D). , substituted “do not have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent” for “are admitted pursuant to ” and inserted before period at end “, except that the Secretary may waive the limitation contained in this subparagraph if a nonprofit institution demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Secretary that it exceeds such limitation because it serves, through contracts with Federal, State, or local government agencies, significant numbers of students who do not have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent”.
Pub. L. 103–208, § 2(h)(3)Subsec. (a)(4)(A). , amended subpar. (A) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (A) read as follows: “such institution has filed for bankruptcy; or”.
Pub. L. 103–208, § 2(h)(4)Subsec. (d)(2). , amended par. (2) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (2) read as follows: “For the purpose of any program under this subchapter, the term ‘academic year’ shall require a minimum of 30 weeks of instructional time in which a full-time student is expected to complete at least 24 semester or trimester hours or 36 quarter hours at an institution which measures program length in credit hours or at least 900 clock hours at an institution which measures program length in clock hours.”
Pub. L. 103–208, § 2(h)(5)Subsec. (e)(2). , amended par. (2) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (2) read as follows: “The Secretary shall develop regulations to determine the quality of programs of less than 600 clock hours in length. Such regulations shall require, at a minimum, that the programs have a verified rate of completion of at least 70 percent and a verified rate of placement of at least 70 percent. Pursuant to these regulations and notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Secretary shall allow programs of less than 600 clock hours, but greater than 300 clock hours, in length to be eligible to participate in the programs authorized under part B of this subchapter.”
Pub. L. 103–208, § 2(h)(6)Subsec. (f). , substituted “individual, or any State,” for “State” in introductory provisions.
Pub. L. 102–325, § 481(a)1992—, amended section catchline.
Pub. L. 102–325, § 481(a)Subsec. (a). , added subsec. (a) and struck out former subsec. (a) which contained pars. (1) and (2) defining “institution of higher education” and “accredited” and par. (3) which related to recognition of accreditation of eligible institutions of higher education.
Pub. L. 102–325, § 481(b)(4)Subsec. (b). , struck out at end “For the purpose of this subsection, the Secretary shall publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies or associations which he determines to be reliable authority as to the quality of training offered.”
Pub. L. 102–325, § 481(b)(1)Subsec. (b)(1). , substituted “an eligible program” for “not less than a 6-month program”.
Pub. L. 102–325, § 481(b)(2)Subsec. (b)(4). , substituted “pursuant to part H of this subchapter,” for “for this purpose, and”.
Pub. L. 102–325, § 481(b)(3)Subsec. (b)(5), (6). , substituted “years, and” for “years.” in cl. (5) and added cl. (6).
Pub. L. 102–325, § 481(c)Subsec. (c)(1). , substituted “an eligible program” for “not less than a six-month program”.
Pub. L. 102–325, § 481(d)Subsec. (d). , inserted “and award” after “Academic” in heading and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “For the purpose of any program under this subchapter, the term ‘academic year’ shall be defined by the Secretary by regulation.”
Pub. L. 102–325, § 481(e)Subsec. (e). , amended subsec. (e) generally, substituting provisions relating to eligible program for provisions relating to impact of loss of accreditation.
Pub. L. 102–325, § 481(f)Subsec. (f). , added subsec. (f).
Pub. L. 102–26, § 2(d)(2)(A)Pub. L. 101–508, § 3005(b)1991—Subsec. (b). , repealed . See 1990 Amendment note below.
Pub. L. 102–26, § 2(a)(2)section 1091(d) of this title, struck out “and who have the ability to benefit (as determined by the institution under ) from the training offered by the institution” before period at end of second sentence, and struck out at end “The Secretary shall not promulgate regulations defining the admissions procedures or remediation programs that must be used by an institution in admitting students on the basis of their ability to benefit from the training offered and shall not, as a condition of recognition under section 413(e) of this Act, impose upon any accrediting body or bodies standards which are different or more restrictive than the standards provided in this subsection.”
Pub. L. 102–26, § 2(a)(3)section 1091(d) of this titleSubsec. (c). , struck out before period at end “and who have the ability to benefit (as determined by the institution under ) from the training offered by the institution”.
Pub. L. 101–508section 1091(d) of this titlePub. L. 102–26, § 2(d)(2)(A)1990—Subsec. (b). , which inserted “, except in accordance with ,” after “shall not” in fourth sentence, was repealed by . See Construction of 1991 Amendment note below.
Pub. L. 101–239, § 2007(b)(1)1989—Subsec. (a)(1). , substituted “Subject to subsection (e) of this section, for the purpose” for “For the purpose”.
Pub. L. 101–239, § 2007(c)Subsec. (a)(3). , added par. (3).
Pub. L. 101–239, § 2007(b)(2)Subsec. (e). , added subsec. (e).
Pub. L. 100–50section 1091(d) of this title1987—Subsec. (c). substituted “” for “subsection (d) of this section”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 2025 Amendment
Pub. L. 119–21section 83002(c) of Pub. L. 119–21section 1070a of this titleAmendment by effective on , and applicable with respect to award year 2026–2027 and each succeeding award year, see , set out as a note under .
Effective Date of 2015 Amendment
Pub. L. 114–95section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95section 6301 of this titleAmendment by effective , except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see , set out as a note under .
Effective Date of 2009 Amendment
Pub. L. 111–39Pub. L. 110–315section 3 of Pub. L. 111–39section 1001 of this titleAmendment by effective as if enacted on the date of enactment of (), see , set out as a note under .
Effective Date of 2006 Amendment
Pub. L. 109–171section 8001(c) of Pub. L. 109–171section 1002 of this titleAmendment by effective , except as otherwise provided, see , set out as a note under .
section 8007(d) of Pub. L. 109–17120 U.S.C. 1070section 8007(f) of Pub. L. 109–171section 1078 of this titleAmendment by applicable with respect to all loans under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( et seq.), see , set out as a note under .
Effective Date of 1998 Amendments
Pub. L. 105–244Pub. L. 105–244section 3 of Pub. L. 105–244section 1001 of this titleAmendment by effective , except as otherwise provided in , see , set out as a note under .
Pub. L. 105–216section 13 of Pub. L. 105–216section 4901 of Title 12Amendment by effective 1 year after , see , set out as an Effective Date note under , Banks and Banking.
Effective Date of 1993 Amendment
Pub. L. 103–208Pub. L. 102–325section 5(a) of Pub. L. 103–208section 1051 of this titleAmendment by effective as if included in the Higher Education Amendments of 1992, , except as otherwise provided, see , set out as a note under .
Effective Date of 1992 Amendment
Pub. L. 102–325, title IV, § 498106 Stat. 634
Effective Date of 1991 Amendment
Pub. L. 102–26section 2(d)(1) of Pub. L. 102–26section 1085 of this titleAmendment by applicable to any grant, loan, or work assistance to cover the cost of instruction for periods of enrollment beginning on or after , see , set out as a note under .
Effective Date of 1990 Amendment
Section 3005(c) of Pub. L. 101–508section 1091 of this titlesection 2(d)(2)(A) of Pub. L. 102–26, which provided that the amendments made by section 3005 (amending this section and ) were to apply to any grant, loan, or work assistance to cover the cost of instruction for periods of enrollment beginning on or after , was repealed by . See Construction of 1991 Amendment note below.
Effective Date of 1987 Amendment
Pub. L. 100–50Pub. L. 99–498section 27 of Pub. L. 100–50section 1001 of this titleAmendment by effective as if enacted as part of the Higher Education Amendments of 1986, , see , set out as a note under .
Construction of 2006 Amendment
section 8007(d) of Pub. L. 109–171section 8007(e) of Pub. L. 109–171section 1078 of this titleNothing in amendment by to be construed to authorize any refunding of any repayment of a loan, see , set out as a note under .
Construction of 1991 Amendment
Pub. L. 102–26, § 2(d)(2)(A)105 Stat. 124
Need-Based Aid
Pub. L. 102–325, title XV, § 1544106 Stat. 837Pub. L. 103–382, title V, § 568(e)(2)108 Stat. 4061Pub. L. 103–382section 1 of Title 15, , , authorized institutions of higher education to voluntarily agree with other such institutions to award financial aid not awarded under this chapter to students attending such institutions only on basis of demonstrated financial need for such aid, and to discuss and adopt principles of professional judgment for determining student financial need for such aid, with exceptions for cases pending on , and for discussions or agreements on prospective financial aid awards to specific common applicants, and provided that such authorization was to expire on , prior to repeal by , , . See section 568(a)–(d) of , set out as a note under , Commerce and Trade.