Congress Opens Pell Grants to Short-Term For-Profit Job Training

Congress passed legislation expanding Pell Grant eligibility to cover 8-week workforce training programs offered by for-profit institutions. Previously, Pell Grants required enrollment in programs of at least 600 hours. Critics warned the change would expose low-income students to predatory for-profit programs with poor job placement records, while supporters argued it would give workers faster access to credentials in high-demand fields.