Alaska student and vocational grants: AEG, APS, STEP and WIOA (2026-27)

Why the Alaska Education Grant runs out before everyone is paid

The AEG pays $500 to $4,000 per academic year to Alaska students with financial need, measured by the Student Aid Index (SAI) on the FAFSA ⁠¹. ACPE does not publish an SAI cutoff. ACPE’s 2026 Almanac says more students qualify each year than the money covers, and the grant reaches 2,600 to more than 3,100 students before funding is fully spent ⁠⁴. In the 2025 award year, 3,146 students received an AEG, and the average award was $2,201. That is well below the $4,000 maximum ⁠⁴.

Because of the shortfall, ACPE ranks eligible students on four factors ⁠¹⁠⁴:

• Financial need: your SAI from the FAFSA.
• Enrollment level: full-time students come before part-time students.
• FAFSA filing date: the earliest filers come first.
• Prior-year AEG: having received the grant last year counts in your favor.

A grant one year does not guarantee one the next, and you must file a new FAFSA each year ⁠¹.

To be eligible for the AEG, you must meet these requirements ⁠¹:

• You have been an Alaska resident for at least 365 days before filing the FAFSA, and you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
• You have a high school diploma or GED.
• You have been admitted to an undergraduate degree or vocational certificate program.
• You are enrolled at least half time.
• You have no bachelor’s degree.
• You meet your school’s satisfactory academic progress rules.

Source: ACPE AEG page ⁠¹. Your school certifies your enrollment at the start of each academic year before ACPE pays ⁠¹.

The Alaska Performance Scholarship: merit levels and the $500 unmet-cost rule

APS is a merit scholarship, so your SAI does not affect whether you qualify or how much you get ⁠³. It is open to Alaska residents who graduate from an Alaska public, private or home school and complete the APS high school curriculum ⁠². For APS, residency means you have been physically present in Alaska for at least 30 days and intend to stay ⁠³.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

You can receive up to 8 full-time disbursements within 8 years of graduating, or $28,000 at Level 1 ⁠²⁠⁴.

The award cannot exceed your cost of attendance after all other grants and scholarships. To get any payment, you must have at least $500 of unmet cost ⁠²⁠³. Half-time students receive a prorated award ⁠³. Recipients who are not at Level 1 can move up a level through the Step-Up option. To qualify, take two consecutive full-time semesters of at least 15 credits each and earn a 3.0 GPA for Level 2 or a 3.5 GPA for Level 1 ⁠².

To keep APS, first-year undergraduates must complete 24 credits, or 12 if half time, with a 2.5 GPA. In later years, the requirement is 30 credits, or 15 if half time ⁠². Demand has grown since the 2024 law changes. The Class of 2025 had a 53% eligibility rate, and ACPE expected the 2025-26 APS allocation to be fully spent ⁠⁴.

Using APS for career and technical programs

Of the two ACPE awards, only APS can pay for programs at training centers that do not take federal aid. ACPE keeps two approved lists. The first covers accredited colleges, and the second covers career and technical training centers whose certificate programs are approved by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development ⁠⁵. Occupational Endorsement programs cannot be paid with APS ⁠⁵.

Clock-hour programs must meet minimum hours. A full-time award requires at least 30 clock hours a week for at least 12 weeks. A half-time award requires at least 15 hours a week for at least 6 weeks ⁠²⁠³. APS pays only one year for the same career and technical certificate, however long the program runs ⁠³. Students who graduated before 2024 and qualified only through WorkKeys can use APS for certificate programs only ⁠³.

Applying without a FAFSA: what Alaska does and does not offer

Alaska has no state alternative to the FAFSA for the AEG. The AEG uses the FAFSA as its only application and requires U.S. citizenship or permanent residency ⁠¹. APS has two other routes:

• APS Alternative Application: for students attending an approved school that does not take federal aid. File it in ASAP by June 30 ⁠²⁠³.
• No Social Security number: students who are eligible for APS but have no SSN can complete the Alternative APS Application even for a school that takes federal aid. Email it to [email protected], note that you have no SSN, and include your school and student ID ⁠³.

Private school and privately homeschooled graduates must also send an eligibility determination form to the Department of Education and Early Development by July 15 ⁠².

Alaska has no state-run free community college or promise program. The University of Alaska runs the state’s community campuses, and its UA Scholars award ($1,875 per semester for up to eight semesters) is a university program paid from UA’s land grant endowment, not a state grant ⁠³⁠⁴.

Pell, the new cost-of-attendance limit, and Workforce Pell’s status in Alaska

For July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, the federal Pell Grant ranges from $740 to $7,395 ⁠⁶. Starting in 2026-27, you cannot receive Pell if your non-federal grants and scholarships equal or exceed your cost of attendance ⁠⁸. If you receive APS, UA Scholars and an AEG at a low-cost campus, ask the aid office how this limit affects you.

Workforce Pell has paid for short programs since July 1, 2026. A program must run 8 to 14 weeks with 150 to 599 clock hours and have completion and job placement rates of at least 70% ⁠⁷. People who already have a bachelor’s degree can receive it. Direct Loans, work-study and FSEOG are not available for these programs, but WIOA funding can be added ⁠⁷.

Each program also needs state certification. Alaska’s July 2026 draft framework, presented to the Alaska Workforce Investment Board in August 2026, plans to route applications through the Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL) and AlaskaJobs. The board would recommend programs, and the governor or a designee would certify them ⁠⁹. That draft still listed naming the certifying official as a decision to be made. It lists no certified programs, though it notes the University of Alaska has said it is ready to apply ⁠⁹. Before enrolling in a short program on the assumption that Workforce Pell will pay, ask the college whether it has federal approval.

How Alaska Job Centers pay for training: WIOA ITAs and STEP

Training money for adults comes through Alaska’s 13 Job Centers, from Anchorage Midtown and the Mat-Su to Bethel, Nome and Ketchikan ⁠¹⁴. A DETS case manager assesses your skills and job goal, and together you sign an Individual Employment Plan (IEP). You then choose a program from the ETPL ⁠¹¹. ETPL programs must meet state employment, earnings and completion standards ⁠¹². Training must lead to an in-demand job that pays a self-sufficient wage. The plan cannot exceed 104 weeks of training without a director’s waiver ⁠¹¹. Case managers must consider Pell and other grants first, because WIOA money supplements other aid rather than replacing it. ITAs are never issued retroactively for training you have already finished ⁠¹¹.

Total funding for one IEP cannot exceed $15,000 across all programs. Any exception needs the DETS Director’s approval ⁠¹⁰.

STEP is Alaska’s own training program, paid for by a set-aside from the unemployment insurance trust fund. It is open to Alaska residents who have worked in a UI-covered job in any state within the last five years and need new skills ⁠¹³. Out-of-state training can be paid for only if the program is on that state’s training provider list and is unavailable in Alaska, cheaper or available sooner, and the DETS Director or Deputy Director approves it ⁠¹¹.

Filing for 2027-28 in Alaska, step by step

1. File the FAFSA early in the cycle

   ACPE tells students to file as soon as possible after October 1. AEG money goes partly by filing date and is spent every year ⁠³⁠⁴. List at least one AEG school ⁠¹.

2. Open your ASAP account

   Only the student can register. ASAP shows AEG status, APS level and continuing eligibility. Graduating seniors see their APS eligibility by mid-August ⁠².

3. Meet the APS dates

   File the FAFSA or APS Alternative Application by June 30, 2027. Private and homeschool graduates must also file with the Department of Education and Early Development by July 15 ⁠².

4. Tell your school you are using APS

   Do this before its enrollment certification deadline. Enroll at least half time (6 credits) or in a qualifying clock-hour program ⁠².

5. For job training, call an Alaska Job Center

   Use the toll-free number, 1-877-724-2539. You complete a program application with the documents it asks for, such as proof of work history for STEP. Pick an ETPL program, and apply for Pell if the school takes federal aid, because job center money is paid straight to the provider only after your IEP is signed ⁠¹¹⁠¹⁴⁠¹⁵.

6. Keep your awards

   Complete the APS credit and GPA requirements, and refile the FAFSA every year for the AEG ⁠¹⁠².

7. Ask for an extension or exception if you need one

   For an APS deadline extension, such as for military service or a delayed start in a program like UAA Nursing, send a written request to the Department of Education and Early Development, postmarked at least 30 days before your eligibility expires ⁠³. For training funds, any ITA denial or request over the funding limits goes to the DETS Director ⁠¹⁰⁠¹¹.

For other states’ programs, see the 50-state comparison of student and vocational grants.