The Workforce Pell Certification Form Is Live — What CDL Schools Should Send Their Governor

Award year 2026–27 opened July 1, and FSA marked the occasion by publishing the State Workforce Pell Program Certification form (Electronic Announcement GENERAL-26-44). This is the document your governor's process completes for each approved program — program name, six-digit CIP code, the SOC codes it trains toward, and the approval date — before it goes to ED via the E-App.

What your state will want from you

States are standing up intake processes at different speeds, but the certification draws on the same substance everywhere:

• Program identity: name, CIP (49.0205 for most tractor-trailer programs), target SOC codes (53-3032 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, plus any specialized codes).
• Length in both units: weeks of instruction AND clock hours. The eligibility band is 8 to under 15 weeks and 150 to under 600 clock hours — and the 8-week floor binds even if your hours qualify.
• Twelve months of data: your first rate certifications draw on the most recent 12 months of administrative data — completer lists and employment follow-up need to exist before the state asks.

What to do this week

1. Find your state workforce board's Workforce Pell intake page (several states published processes the same week).
2. Export a 12-month cohort file: enrollment date, completion date, withdrawal reason, employment follow-up with employer/start date/occupation.
3. If your program runs under 8 weeks, start the pacing conversation now — accelerated programs need restructuring before they can qualify.

The full approval chain is mapped in our companion handbook: governor certification and ED approval, and the 70/70 Report Generator shows where your rates stand before your state runs them.