The Effects of Expanding Pell Grant Eligibility for Short Occupational Training Programs: New Results on Employment and Earnings from the Experimental Sites Initiative

Pell Grants are the cornerstone of federal financial aid for low-income students enrolled in postsecondary education. Between 2012 and 2017, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) conducted pilots of two experimental expansions to Pell Grant eligibility. The first experiment allowed income-eligible students with a bachelor's degree, not normally eligible for Pell Grants, to obtain them for short-term occupational training programs lasting up to one year. The second experiment allowed income-eligible students to obtain Pell Grants for very short-term programs under the normal minimum of 15 weeks of instruction. This report updates previously released findings on the pilots' effects on postsecondary enrollment and completion, to also examine whether they improved students' labor market outcomes.