May 18, 2026

Leading the News this Week

This Wednesday, May 20at 11:59pm ET is the deadline to comment on the proposed accountability rule. ACCT urges community college leaders, students, and stakeholders to submit comments asking the U.S. Department of Education  (ED) to make these new rules fair for community college students.

Your advocacy is making a difference! Just today, ED released final rules for Workforce Pell Grants, which included a key update community college advocates requested to reward colleges that keep students enrolled.

Read on to the next section for additional information.

News in Higher Education

Make New Rules Fair for Community College Students

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) President Trump signed last year includes new accountability provisions to judge college programs by their completers' earnings.

Community college trustees, leaders, students, and advocates have a short window to share comments on the proposed rule to make the new law work more clearly and fairly for our students and colleges.

The deadline to submit comments to the Department of Education is Wednesday, May 20, 11:59 PM Eastern

Trustees are reminded to check with their president’s office and board rules regarding public comments on regulations before submitting.

**If you have only a minute, please click HERE to comment using ACCT’s web form.** 

If you have a few minutes, it can be helpful to submit a version of this comment on your own college, board, or association’s letterhead. You can click here to download a Word document with template text, customize it and add your own letterhead, and then submit direction in the portal at regulations.gov HERE

If you have questions, please contact PublicPolicy@ACCT.org.

Your Advocacy Worked! Final Workforce Pell Grant Rule Rewards Students Who Stay Enrolled

Today the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released the final rule for Workforce Pell Grants to low-income students for short-term programs. (View ED's press release and fact sheet.)

Thank you to the many community college leaders, trustees, and advocates who submitted public comments on the proposed rule along with ACCT and AACC. Inside Higher Ed covered the Ohio Association of Community Colleges' comments.

By law, to be eligible for Workforce Pell Grants, a program must between 8 and 15 weeks, be 150-599 clock hours, and be approved by the state governor and Secretary of Education. Programs must meet 70 percent job completion and 70 percent job placement rates, plus have higher Value-Added Earnings than comparable low-wage workers.

Thanks to your advocacy, the final rule rewards — instead of punishes — community college students who finish a Workforce Pell Grant and enroll in another program at the community college or elsewhere.

ED wrote, "The Department is persuaded by the commenters." Students who complete a Workforce Pell Grant and remain enrolled in higher education will not have their earnings included in the value-added earnings metric.

ED didn't give community college leaders everything we requested. For example, the final rule still requires programs to meet all requirements for 12 months before approval, rather than our request to simply be in operation for 12 months and meet requirements at the moment of application. Thus realistically, the July 1, 2026 implementation date will start with a small number of programs and increase gradually.

Nonetheless, we celebrate this advocacy win and thank the community college leaders and advocates who made this happen.

U.S. House Members Support Pell Grant with ED Secretary McMahon in Congressional Hearing

ACCT thanks House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Tim Walberg (MI-05), Rep. Glenn Thompson (PA-05), Rep. Rick Allen (GA-12), Rep. Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), and Rep. Jahana Hayes (CT-05) for supporting Pell Grant funding, Workforce Pell, and TRIO at the House Education and Workforce Committee Hearing held May 14.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testified at the committee hearing on the President's FY27 budget request for the Department of Education. Sec. McMahon opened by acknowledging the progress the simplified FAFSA form has made for students applying for federal financial aid and her commitment to “implementing the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which simplifies federal student loan repayment, launches a new workforce Pell program, and will make post-secondary education more affordable.”

Chairman Tim Walberg (MI-05) acknowledged that increased FAFSA submissions give “more students an opportunity to pursue their secondary -- post-secondary dreams.” Chairman Walberg (MI-05)  also congratulated the successful efforts to implement "Pell Grant expansion for short-term workforce programs” to benefit students who may prefer workforce programs to traditional post-secondary educational pathways. Congressman Glenn Thompson (PA-15) agreed, stating that he “was proud to help secure a provision for Workforce Pell and the Work Families Tax Cut Act to expand Pell Grant eligibility to include short-term, high-quality skills-based program for workers looking to climb the next rung on the ladder of opportunity.” 

In addition, Reps Thompson (PA-15), Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), and Jahana Hayes (CT-05) credited TRIO as an effective program to assist students in their academic journeys.

While the future of current educational programs and the Pell shortfall remain unclear, the advocacy of community college leaders helped lead to support for these critical programs from both sides of the aisle.

Grant Opportunities

Please review the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education's Community College webpage for other grants community colleges are eligible for. These below are the top highlights:

Strengthening Community College Training Grants

In this 6th round, the objective of  the Strengthening Community College Training Grant (SCCTG) competition is to fund community colleges aiming to build "program and system capacity for implementing and scaling access to short-term training opportunities through Workforce Pell Grants—i.e., promoting industry-driven strategies, worker mobility, and integration with the larger state workforce system (e.g., Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) partners) for statewide impact." The closing date for this grant opportunity is May 20, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET.

Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS)

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) released this year’s competition for Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS). This year, ED expects to make 148 awards between $150,000 to $1,000,000 for four-year grants to colleges with at least $250,000 in Pell Grant funding to support child care for parenting low-income students. Here is an FAQ from ED.  The deadline to apply is May 29, 2026.

High School Equivalency Program (HEP) and the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP)

New federal grant opportunities have opened for institutions serving migrant and underserved student populations. The Department of Education has opened competitions for the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) and the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), both of which provide academic and support services to migrant and seasonal farmworker students pursuing postsecondary education. The deadline to submit an application for HEP and CAMP is June 12, 2026, 11:59 PM ET.

AI Upskill Accelerator Pilot grant opportunity

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced a grant aimed at strengthening workforce development and artificial intelligence training initiatives. Higher education advocates note these programs could provide important funding opportunities for community colleges seeking to expand student support services and workforce training programs. The deadline to submit an application is July 10, 2026, 4:59 PM ET via the EDGE submission portal. 

• May 20, 11:59 PM ET.  Deadline to comment on ED's Accountability Framework
• May 20, 11:59 PM ET. Strengthening Community College Training Grant Closes
• May 29, 11:59 PM ET. Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) Grant Closes
• June 5, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• June 12, 11:59 PM ET HEP Grant Application Closes
• June 12 ,11:59 PM ET CAMP Grant Application Closes
• July 10, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• July 10, 4:59 PM ET AI Upskill Accelerator Pilot Program Application Closes
• August 7, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• September 4, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• October 2, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live 
• October 21-24 ACCT Leadership Congress
• November 6, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live 
• December 4, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live

Outreach Efforts

Is your institution meeting or hosting an event with federal elected officials?

We created a Congressional Contact Form that will help us track outreach efforts of community college leaders across our membership. By filling out the form, you are better informing ACCT's advocacy efforts and our advocacy team is able to continue those conversations with congressional staff in DC. 

ACCT NOW is the go-to resource for issues affecting community colleges. Our new website features original reporting and research, as well as of-the-moment legislative updates. ACCT NOW also includes articles, reports, and research from outside sources that benefit the ACCT community. Read the Latest Articles on ACCT NOW:

Would you Like a Federal Update Session for Your Team?

Both this new presidential administration and new Congress have brought with them a flurry of developments in the federal landscape that can make keeping up a monumental task. ACCT's Government Relations team is here to help by offering a 45-minute to an-hour federal update session to community college leadership teams who are ACCT members. To request a session, fill out this form and please email publicpolicy@acct.org with any questions.

Have a Question?

Contact us with any questions or concerns about public policy and ACCT's advocacy on behalf of two-year colleges and two-year college trustees. ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts are sent to interested ACCT members to keep you up to date on important legislative activities that impact community colleges.

If you no longer wish to receive ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts, reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. For more information about ACCT's advocacy services, visit acct.org/advocacy

Spread the Word.

Please encourage your fellow trustees, presidents and colleagues to stay up to date about legislation that affects their community colleges by joining the Latest Action in Washington (LAW) Alert network. To join, simply register here. 

For more community college news from inside the beltway, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, or like us Facebook.