Nebraska student and vocational grants: NOG, Gap Assistance, Workforce Pell and WIOA (2026-27)

How big a NOG award can be in 2026-27

NOG has no fixed statewide award amount. Instead, the rules set a ceiling: an award cannot exceed 50% of the tuition and mandatory fees a full-time resident undergraduate paid at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the last completed award year ⁠². For 2026-27 awards, that year is 2025-26. UNL reports $8,730 in resident tuition plus $2,370 in required fees for 30 credit hours that year, a total of $11,100 ⁠⁴. Half of that is $5,550, so no 2026-27 NOG can be larger. CCPE does not publish this dollar figure itself. The calculation above applies the rule to UNL’s published rates.

Actual awards are much smaller because the program is underfunded:

Source: CCPE NOG fact sheet, December 2025 ⁠³. Each college also has its own allocation, so two students with the same SAI can get different amounts at different colleges.

Total NOG aid cannot be more than your financial need, meaning your cost of attendance minus your Student Aid Index (SAI) and other aid ⁠².

Who qualifies for NOG under 281 NAC 5

Under the commission’s rules (Title 281, Chapter 5, effective June 23, 2025), you must meet all of these requirements ⁠²:

• Nebraska domicile as defined in Neb. Rev. Stat. § 85-502.
• Undergraduate status: no bachelor’s or professional degree yet, and enrolled full time or part time in a Title IV-eligible program at an eligible Nebraska college. Associate degrees, diplomas and certificates count.
• A FAFSA for the award year, with an SAI no higher than the “Yearly Maximum SAI.” That limit is 110% of the highest SAI that still qualifies for a Federal Pell Grant. Students slightly above the Pell cutoff can therefore still get NOG.
• Satisfactory academic progress as your college defines it, plus a signed statement that you will spend the award only on educational expenses.

Part-time students are not excluded by the state rules, though a college may set its own minimum enrollment for its NOG awards. Eligible schools include University of Nebraska campuses, state colleges, community colleges, independent nonprofits and accredited private career schools located in Nebraska ⁠²⁠³.

No FAFSA alternative in Nebraska

Some states offer their own aid form for students who cannot file the FAFSA. Nebraska does not. The NOG rules require a FAFSA for the applicable award year ⁠², and the University of Nebraska identifies Nebraska Promise students only through the FAFSA ⁠⁵. Students who cannot file a FAFSA therefore cannot get either state grant. Gap Assistance is not available to them either, because it requires U.S. citizenship or qualified-alien status, and CCPE’s guidelines specifically exclude DACA recipients ⁠⁷. In practice, these students are left with private and college scholarships.

Nebraska Promise and the Career Scholarship

Nebraska Promise is the University of Nebraska’s own program, not a state appropriation. It covers full tuition for up to 30 credit hours a year at UNL, UNO, UNK, UNMC and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA). To qualify, you must be a Nebraska resident, enroll full time, and have a family adjusted gross income of $65,000 or less or be eligible for Pell ⁠⁵. Pell, NOG and scholarships are applied first, and Promise pays any tuition left over. It does not cover fees, books or housing, and you must keep a 2.5 GPA ⁠⁵. For 2026-27, the FAFSA deadline was May 1 and any follow-up documents were due June 1 ⁠⁵. Confirm the 2027-28 dates with your campus.

The Nebraska Career Scholarship at community colleges is a CCPE partnership. It pays up to $15,000 a year toward tuition, fees, tools, books, room and board. It is for first-time or transfer students in programs leading to high-wage jobs, such as healthcare, construction, production, transportation and computer support. Recipients must arrange a Nebraska internship, apprenticeship, clinical placement or job in their field before finishing ⁠⁹. Each college runs its own application ⁠⁹.

Gap Assistance for short courses Pell won’t pay for

The Community College Gap Assistance Program pays for training too short for Pell. That means non-credit programs of at least 16 contact hours, or credit programs below the Pell minimum (generally under 600 clock hours or 16 semester hours), in in-demand fields. Covered fields include health services, construction, transportation and logistics, precision metals manufacturing and software ⁠⁶⁠⁷. CCPE posts the full list of approved programs, last updated July 29, 2026 ⁠⁶. Programs named in the guidelines include CNA, med aide, OSHA and CDL courses ⁠⁷. A college may pay up to the full cost of tuition, direct training costs, required books and equipment, and fees for industry tests and background checks. Each student can receive Gap funding for only one program ⁠⁷.

To qualify, your family income (yours, plus your spouse’s if married) must be at or below 250% of the HHS poverty guidelines, and you must be a Nebraska resident ⁠⁷. Colleges annualize income from recent pay stubs and may use a different 12-month period if you recently lost a job ⁠⁷.

CCPE’s guidelines tell colleges to use the current year’s HHS guidelines, which CCPE emails to colleges each January. Because the 2026 guidelines are higher, your college’s 2026 cutoff may be somewhat above these posted figures ⁠⁷⁠⁸.

LB 1086 (2026) changed the rules so that Gap can now be combined with other public or private funding, including Workforce Pell, as long as the total does not exceed the program’s cost. Receiving SNAP Employment and Training benefits no longer disqualifies you ⁠⁷.

Workforce Pell at Metropolitan Community College

The federal Pell Grant pays $740 to $7,395 for July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 ⁠¹⁰. Since July 1, 2026, Pell can also pay for short programs that run at least 8 but fewer than 15 weeks. In Nebraska, each program must first be approved by the Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) on behalf of the governor, after consulting the Nebraska Workforce Development Board, and then by the U.S. Department of Education ⁠¹¹⁠¹². Approved programs need at least 70% completion and 70% job placement, and their tuition cannot exceed the earnings gain graduates get ⁠¹². NDOL’s 2026-27 list includes 40 eligible occupations ⁠¹¹.

Metropolitan Community College in Omaha is the first Nebraska school with Workforce Pell programs. Its page currently lists Certified Pharmacy Technician, Phlebotomy Technician, CompTIA Tech+ and CDL-A Truck Driving ⁠¹¹⁠¹³. You apply with the FAFSA. You must show financial need and be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen. Students who already have a bachelor’s degree can qualify ⁠¹¹. Award amounts depend on need and program length ⁠¹³. Colleges send programs to NDOL at least 45 days before a quarterly board meeting, and the next one is December 4, 2026. Other colleges can only be added after those meetings ⁠¹².

WIOA training money through Nebraska’s job centers

Under WIOA, adults and dislocated workers can have training paid through an Individual Training Account. The ITA pays the provider directly, but only for programs on Nebraska’s Eligible Training Provider List ⁠¹⁵. Registered Apprenticeship programs registered with the U.S. Department of Labor office in Omaha are added to the list automatically ⁠¹⁵. Nebraska has three local workforce areas ⁠¹⁴:

• Greater Omaha: Douglas, Sarpy and Washington counties.
• Greater Lincoln: Lancaster and Saunders counties.
• Greater Nebraska: the rest of the state. NDOL’s contact page lists job center locations.

NDOL’s WIOA pages do not list ITA dollar or length limits, so ask your local job center for its current limit before choosing a program. If WIOA eligibility is the hurdle, ask about Gap or Workforce Pell. Both can now be combined with other funding ⁠⁷.

Paying for 2027-28 in Nebraska, step by step

1. File the 2027-28 FAFSA

   It is the only application for NOG, Pell, Workforce Pell and Nebraska Promise ⁠¹⁠⁵. File early, because NOG money runs out. In 2024-25, nearly 18,000 eligible students were left without a grant ⁠³.

2. Ask each college for its NOG priority date and forms

   Colleges award NOG from their own allocations and set their own priority dates. Some also require an institutional aid form ⁠¹⁠². University of Nebraska applicants should finish the FAFSA by May 1 for Promise ⁠⁵.

3. Answer verification requests and residency questions

   Your college must confirm Nebraska domicile under § 85-502 and your SAI before it can include you on the list it sends CCPE before June 1 ⁠².

4. For short training, contact your community college’s Gap representative

   Bring recent pay stubs and your latest Form 1040. Then complete the college’s readiness assessment. Gap applications stay valid for six months ⁠⁶⁠⁷.

5. For WIOA, open NEworks

   Find the program under Training Services, then ETPL Approved Programs, and contact your local job center to determine eligibility before enrolling ⁠¹⁴⁠¹⁵.

6. Appeal a NOG decision in two stages

   First use your college’s financial aid appeal process. If you disagree with the result, you can appeal in writing to CCPE within 21 calendar days of the college’s decision. CCPE’s decision is final ⁠².