StateGrantsGuide

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Student and vocational training grants by state

Grant aid for college and job training reaches students through three channels: the federal Pell Grant claimed through the FAFSA, state grant programs with their own deadlines, and WIOA training accounts issued by local workforce boards, with Workforce Pell added for short programs from July 1, 2026.

Written by Editorial team 50 of 50 states published Last reviewed How we review

Student and Vocational Grants in every state

50 of 50 state guides published

Student and Vocational Grants: main program and maximum state grant in each state
StateMain programMaximum state grantReviewed
ALAlabama Alabama Student Assistance Program (ASAP) $5,000 a year
AKAlaska Alaska Education Grant (AEG) $4,000 a year
AZArizona Arizona Promise Program Full tuition and fees (about $13,900 a year at UA)
ARArkansas Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship $5,000 a year (Academic Challenge)
CACalifornia Cal Grant A and B $15,588 a year (Cal Grant tuition award at UC)
COColorado Colorado Student Grant $5,000 a year (Colorado Student Grant)
CTConnecticut Roberta B. Willis Scholarship need-based grant $4,500 a year (Willis need-based grant)
DEDelaware Scholarship Incentive Program (ScIP) $1,000 a year
FLFlorida Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG) $3,260 a year (FSAG)
GAGeorgia DREAMS Scholarship $3,000 a year ($1,500 a semester)
HIHawaii Hawaiʻi Promise Scholarship No fixed cap (average $2,933 a year in 2024-25)
IDIdaho Idaho Opportunity Scholarship $3,500 a year (Idaho Opportunity Scholarship)
ILIllinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) $8,064 a year ($8,400 less a 4% cut)
INIndiana Frank O'Bannon Grant $10,600 a year (private); $5,300 at public colleges
IAIowa Iowa Tuition Grant $7,500 a year (Iowa Tuition Grant)
KSKansas Kansas Comprehensive Grant Up to $10,500 a year (private colleges; $4,500 public)
KYKentucky College Access Program (CAP) Grant $5,300 a year (CAP Grant, four-year schools)
LALouisiana Louisiana GO Grant $3,000 a year
MEMaine Maine State Grant Program $2,500 a year (Maine State Grant)
MDMaryland Delegate Howard P. Rawlings Guaranteed Access (GA) Grant $18,000 a year (Guaranteed Access Grant)
MAMassachusetts MASSGrant $2,590 a year (MASSGrant)
MIMichigan Michigan Achievement Scholarship $5,500 a year (up to $27,500 over five years)
MNMinnesota Minnesota State Grant About $7,351 a year (four-year programs)
MSMississippi Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students (HELP) Grant Full tuition and fees ($7,492-$10,897 a year at universities)
MOMissouri Access Missouri Financial Assistance Program $3,500 a year (Access Missouri)
MTMontana Montana Promise Grant $2,000 a year ($1,000 a semester)
NENebraska Nebraska Opportunity Grant (NOG) $5,550 a year (cap: half of UNL tuition and fees)
NVNevada Silver State Opportunity Grant $5,500 a year
NHNew Hampshire UNIQUE Annual Allocation Program $3,500 a year (full-time, Pell-eligible)
NJNew Jersey Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) $14,404 a year (TAG, independent colleges)
NMNew Mexico New Mexico Student Incentive Grant (NMSIG) $2,500 a year
NYNew York Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) $5,665 a year (TAP)
NCNorth Carolina Next NC Scholarship At least $5,000 a year at UNC (Pell + state)
NDNorth Dakota North Dakota State Grant $2,750 a year (up to $1,375 a semester)
OHOhio Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG) $5,000 a year (private nonprofit; $4,000 public main campus)
OKOklahoma Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant (OTAG) $3,000 a year (OTAG)
OROregon Oregon Opportunity Grant $8,352 a year (4-year schools; $4,320 at community colleges)
PAPennsylvania PA State Grant $6,000 a year
RIRhode Island Rhode Island Promise Full tuition and fees at CCRI (about $6,082 a year)
SCSouth Carolina SC Need-Based Grant $3,500 a year (full-time)
SDSouth Dakota South Dakota Need-Based Grant $2,000 a year (Need-Based Grant)
TNTennessee Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA) $4,000 a year (private colleges; $2,000 at public)
TXTexas TEXAS Grant $16,197 a year (up to $5,399 a semester)
UTUtah Utah Promise Grant Up to cost of attendance after other aid (no fixed state cap)
VTVermont Vermont Grant Up to $15,350 a year (2025-26 top award)
VAVirginia Virginia Commonwealth Award Up to tuition and required fees (amount set by each college)
WAWashington Washington College Grant (WA Grant) $13,203 a year (WA Grant at UW)
WVWest Virginia West Virginia Higher Education Grant $3,400 a year
WIWisconsin Wisconsin Grant $4,850 a year (private colleges); $3,700 at UW
WYWyoming Hathaway Need-Based Scholarship $2,120 a year (Honors: full unmet need over $2,000)

Three funding streams, one student

A student or adult learner can draw grant money from three sources that do not share an application. The federal Pell Grant comes through the FAFSA and is paid by the school. State grant programs are run by a state higher education or student aid agency, usually use the same FAFSA data, and set their own deadlines. Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) training funds are issued by local workforce boards through American Job Centers. Since July 1, 2026, Pell can also pay for some short job-training programs under Workforce Pell. Knowing which stream fits your program decides where you apply first.

Pell Grant rules for 2026-27

For the 2026-27 award year (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027), the maximum Pell Grant is $7,395 and the minimum is $740 ⁠1. Pell is for undergraduates who have not earned a bachelor’s degree, with a narrow exception for certain teacher-certification programs ⁠2. Eligibility is calculated from the FAFSA’s Student Aid Index and family size, and a student may receive no more than the equivalent of six full-time scheduled awards over a lifetime ⁠2.

A new limit applies starting with 2026-27: a student whose non-federal grants and scholarships equal or exceed the cost of attendance is not eligible for Pell ⁠3. Most students are unaffected, but a student with a full-ride state or institutional scholarship should expect the school to recalculate the package.

Workforce Pell: what took effect July 1, 2026

Congress created Workforce Pell in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act (Public Law 119-21), and the Department of Education published final rules on May 19, 2026 ⁠4. The statutory effective date was July 1, 2026, which is also the first day schools could ask the Department to approve a program ⁠3. A program qualifies only if it clears several gates ⁠5:

Federal requirements for a Workforce Pell program
Requirement Federal standard
Length At least 8 weeks but fewer than 15 weeks of instruction
Size 150 to 599 clock hours, 4 to 15 semester or trimester hours, or 6 to 23 quarter hours
State approval Governor certifies the program as aligned with high-skill, high-wage or in-demand jobs and employer hiring needs
Outcomes Completion rate and job placement rate of at least 70% each
Earnings Must pass an annual value-added earnings test
Excluded delivery Correspondence courses, study abroad and direct assessment

Because each program needs a governor’s certification and federal approval, availability depends on the state. The Department posted the form states use to certify programs on July 1, 2026 ⁠6. Ask the school directly whether a short program is approved before counting on Pell to cover it.

WIOA training accounts through American Job Centers

WIOA Title I funds Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) for eligible adults and dislocated workers. After meeting with a career planner, a participant chooses a program from the state’s Eligible Training Provider List, and the workforce board pays the provider ⁠7. State or local boards may cap the dollar amount and length of an ITA, and there is no federal maximum ⁠7. Training funds are reserved for people who cannot get other grant aid or who need more than that aid covers, so the center will ask about Pell and other sources first; Pell and an ITA can be combined ⁠7. Funding can also run out during a program year ⁠7. CareerOneStop’s locator finds the nearest center ⁠8.

What states decide, and why options differ

  • State grant size and basis. Need-based, merit-based or both, with award amounts set each year by the legislature.
  • Deadlines. Many state grants have deadlines well before the federal FAFSA deadline, and some award money first come, first served until it runs out ⁠9.
  • Who is covered. Whether part-time students, adults returning to school, short certificate programs, or private and for-profit schools qualify.
  • Free community college programs, often “last-dollar” awards that cover tuition after Pell and other grants.
  • Workforce Pell rollout, through the governor’s list of certified programs.
  • WIOA policy, including ITA caps, in-demand occupation lists and which providers appear on the training list.

Most state grant agencies read the same FAFSA record that determines Pell, so one filing usually covers both. Some states also accept their own alternative application from students who cannot file the FAFSA. The state guides say which forms each state uses and when they are due.

Common student and training aid types
Type Repaid? Where it comes from
Pell Grant or state grant No, unless you withdraw early and the school returns funds FAFSA through the school
WIOA Individual Training Account No Local workforce board through an American Job Center
Free community college award No; some programs carry residency or service conditions State or college, often applied after Pell
Federal student loan Yes FAFSA through the school

Mistakes that cost students money

  • Quoting an old Pell figure. For 2026-27 the maximum is $7,395 ⁠1.
  • Assuming any short course is Pell-eligible. Only programs approved under Workforce Pell rules qualify ⁠5.
  • Treating WIOA as an entitlement. Funding is limited, local caps apply, and other aid is considered first ⁠7.
  • Missing the state deadline. Filing the FAFSA in spring can be too late for state grants that close earlier ⁠9.
  • Paying for a “scholarship service.” The FAFSA is free, and so are WIOA services at American Job Centers.

How to use the state guides

The table above shows each state’s main grant program and its maximum award for the current school year. Each state guide names the state aid agency and its programs, gives award amounts and deadlines for 2026-27, explains any free community college or adult programs, and lists how the state’s workforce boards handle ITAs, including published caps and where to find the Eligible Training Provider List. It also notes which programs, if any, the state has certified for Workforce Pell.

A workable order for most readers: file the FAFSA as soon as you can for the school year you plan to attend, then check your state’s grant deadline and any extra state form. If the program you want is short-term job training, ask the school whether it is approved for Workforce Pell. If you have been laid off or cannot cover training with other grants, contact an American Job Center about an ITA before you enroll, since the account is set up with a career planner and the program must be on the state’s Eligible Training Provider List ⁠7.

Sources

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