North Carolina Workforce Pell Program Lookup

North Carolina Workforce Pell Program LookupBeta

Every sub-one-year certificate program in North Carolina's federal record, screened against the state's Workforce Pell occupation list, national earnings benchmarks, and local prices, alongside the state's own noncredit program inventory. In 2023-24, 80 institutions awarded 33,195 certificates across the 1356 programs below.

Beta: North Carolina's approval process runs on a quarterly cycle, so the approved-program list and the eligibility picture will change. This page combines modeled eligibility screens with the state's actual first-cycle approvals and is updated as later cycles post. Corrections welcome.

Opportunity Data · Published July 22, 2026 · Updated August 2026 (first-cycle approvals) · Sources: IPEDS 2023-24 completions, NCWorks Commission CPS 04-2026 occupation list and approved-program list, NCCCS noncredit inventory, NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk, Census PSEO earnings benchmarks, BEA Regional Price Parities

The tables below start from the training North Carolina institutions actually ran and answer one question: which of it can qualify for Workforce Pell under the state's occupation list and screens.

What the mapping shows

Workforce Pell funds programs, not occupations. Under the final federal rule, a program must have operated and met the eligibility requirements for the 12 months before its institution applies, with completion and job-placement data submitted for approval (34 CFR 690.92, 690.94). Whatever a state's occupation list says, aid can only flow to programs that already exist, a distinction developed in our policy note Workforce Pell funds programs, not occupations.

North Carolina's occupation gate is the widest of the early implementers. Under NCWorks Commission policy CPS 04-2026, a program qualifies if it prepares students for an occupation rated at least three of five stars in the state's Star Jobs system, which requires meeting any one of the high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand criteria; the resulting occupation list names 364 occupations. Institutions apply through the state's Eligible Training Provider List platform, with the first application window closed July 15, 2026 and submissions reviewed on a quarterly cycle. The occupation list does little of the filtering. The North Carolina Community College System's own forecast is that roughly 4 percent of existing short-term credential programs will qualify once the hour, completion, placement, and earnings screens apply.

The occupations other states' formulas have screened out are on North Carolina's list: welders, heavy truck drivers, CNC operators, EMTs, nursing assistants. The one large cluster the crosswalk screen flags runs the other way. Forty-two Information Technology certificate programs (CIP 11.0103), with 3,703 completions in 2023-24, map through the federal crosswalk only to computing occupations with bachelor's-typical entry, such as software developers and systems analysts, none of which appear on the state's list. The support occupations short IT certificates commonly feed, such as computer user support specialists, are listed but connect through different program codes. Because North Carolina's application asks institutions to name the occupations a program prepares students for, this group reads as a program-coding question rather than a closed door.

The training federal data cannot see, North Carolina published itself

Much of North Carolina's short-term workforce training is noncredit and therefore absent from federal completions data. The state published its own inventory: 87 noncredit course and credential combinations that fit the Workforce Pell time window, with completion rates, wage-record match rates, and median earnings for each. Commercial truck driving, invisible in IPEDS, appears there with a state-published 84 percent completion rate, a 66 percent wage-match rate, and median earnings of $43,852 six months out. The second table below reproduces that inventory.

What North Carolina actually approved

On August 12, 2026 the NCWorks Commission issued the first cycle of state approvals: 43 programs at 16 community colleges (the posted list). They are almost entirely noncredit and concentrated in healthcare and the trades:

Field	Programs approved
Nurse Aide / CNA	12
Truck Driving / CDL	8
EMT / EMS	7
Phlebotomy	4
Electrical / Lineworker	3
Fire / Public Safety	3
BioWork / Process Tech	2
Welding	2
IT Support	1
Other	1

34 of the 43 approvals (79 percent) appear in the state's noncredit inventory shown in the second table below. The approvals came from exactly the layer federal completions data cannot see: what Workforce Pell funds in North Carolina is the noncredit pipeline, not the credit certificate programs in the first table.

The approved programs span the trades and healthcare support: 8 are commercial truck driving and 2 are welding, alongside nurse aide, phlebotomy, EMT, and electrical lineworker programs. These are occupations North Carolina rates at three or more stars in its Star Jobs system, and the programs that qualified are the noncredit, sub-one-year courses that lead directly to them.

How to read the screen results

Aligned. The program maps to at least one listed occupation and its field clears the national earnings benchmark. These are the programs where eligibility work is mostly documentation.
Earnings clear, no listed match. The program's field clears the earnings benchmark, but the federal crosswalk connects it to no occupation on the state list. North Carolina's application asks institutions to name the SOC codes their program prepares students for, so a program in this group may still qualify by demonstrating alignment with a listed occupation; the crosswalk join is a screen, not the state's determination.
Listed, earnings watch. The occupation is listed but the field's national earnings benchmark falls short. Program-level earnings can differ from field medians in either direction; these programs need their own numbers before drawing conclusions.

Three signals determine where a program lands in the table. State eligibility and the earnings benchmark are observable in public data. The third set of measures that will decide actual eligibility is not: the rule's 70 percent completion-rate and job-placement thresholds. IPEDS counts the certificates a program awards, which is what the first table shows; it does not record how many students enrolled and did not finish. North Carolina's noncredit inventory is the exception that proves the point: for those programs the state published its own completion and wage-match figures, shown in the second table with their state definitions.

Credit programs in the federal record

All 1356 North Carolina certificate programs under one year with 2023-24 completions reported to IPEDS. Programs with fewer than 10 completions are hidden by default.

Screen result

Area

Institution	Program	Screen result	Length	Completions 2023-24	Qualifies via (NC list)	Earnings	Local price index (US = 100)

An institution offering the same program at two certificate lengths appears once per length; the Length column distinguishes the rows. Coverage: institutions participating in federal Title IV student aid are required to report to IPEDS; training providers outside Title IV, and noncredit programs anywhere, are not visible here. Earnings benchmarks are national field-level medians from Census PSEO; they are a screen, not a program-level verdict.

The state's noncredit inventory

All 87 noncredit course and credential combinations the North Carolina Community College System identified as fitting the Workforce Pell time window, with the state's own published figures. Completion rate is the share of 2023-24 students earning a grade of A, B, C, D, or P; wage match is the share of 2022-23 completers appearing in state quarterly wage records roughly six months later; asterisks are suppressed values. These are state definitions, not the federal 70 percent thresholds.

Course	Credential	Completion rate 2023-24	Wage match, 6 mo	Median earnings, 6 mo
Adv Emergency Med Tech Initial EMS4300	Advanced EMT	64%	89%	$54,616
Animal Care and Handling ACM3100	Professional Groomer	71%	*	*
Auto Body Repair AUT3109	Collision Repair and Refinishing Technician	93%	42%	$37,224
Automated Cutting UPH3161	Furniture Technology	86%	*	*
Automotive Mechanics AUT3137	Automobile Technician	76%	63%	$38,798
Basic Correctional Officer CJC5034	Basic Correctional Officer Training	97%	92%	$52,858
Biowork: Process Technician BTC3200	BioWork Process Technician	88%	80%	$41,066
Building Construction Trades CAR3112	CFC Certification EPA Section 608	85%	42%	$18,600
Building Construction Trades CAR3112	Carpentry	68%	42%	$18,600
Building Construction Trades CAR3112	Construction	70%	42%	$18,600
Building Construction Trades CAR3112	Electrical Technician	54%	42%	$18,600
Building Construction Trades CAR3112	Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning	*	42%	$18,600
Building Construction Trades CAR3112	NCCER Core	79%	42%	$18,600
Carpentry: Framing CAR3124	Carpentry	92%	28%	$25,304
Central Sterile Processing PHM3002	Certified Registered Central Service Technician	100%	82%	$35,112
Central Sterile Processing PHM3002	Sterile Processing and Distribution Technician	85%	82%	$35,112
Certified Paralegal LEX3110	NC Certified Paralegal	83%	74%	$35,050
Commercial/Residential Wiring ELC3119	Construction	96%	57%	$40,744
Commercial/Residential Wiring ELC3119	Electrical Technician	63%	57%	$40,744
Commercial/Residential Wiring ELC3119	NCCER Core	70%	57%	$40,744
Computer Hardware Repair/Upgrade CET3100	Computer Service Technician	*	53%	$34,888
Critical Care Transport EMS4600	Critical Care Emergency Medical Transport	50%	76%	$90,268
Custodial/Environmental Svcs. HOS3043	Certified Custodial Technician	70%	10%	*
Electrical Lineman ELT3018	Electrical Lineworker	89%	77%	$46,450
Electricity : Basic ELC3014	Electrical Technician	82%	56%	$46,896
Electronic Health Records HIT3700	Electronic Health Record Specialist	74%	60%	$35,200
Emergency Med Tech Initial EMS4200	EMT	78%	78%	$43,344
Emergency Med Tech Initial EMS4200	National Registry EMT	*	78%	$43,344
FF 2019 - Firefighter Series FIP3030	Firefighter	79%	88%	$53,964
Firefighter 2019 - Block 01 FIP3031	Firefighter	60%	64%	$10,304
Firefighter 2019 - Block 02 FIP3032	Firefighter	89%	88%	$36,666
Firefighter 2019 - Block 03 FIP3033	Firefighter	48%	80%	$39,160
Furniture Technology FUR3300	Furniture Technology	93%	9%	$31,318
Google Digital Mktg & ECOM CTS3110	Google Digital Marketing and ECommerce Certificate	*	*	*
Google Project Management CTS3274	Google Project Management Certificate	*	*	*
HVAC: Heating, Air Condition AHR3131	CFC EPA Certification	95%	57%	$38,654
HVAC: Heating, Air Condition AHR3131	Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning	76%	57%	$38,654
HVAC: Heating, Air Condition AHR3131	Universal R410a Certification	100%	57%	$38,654
Health Unit Coordinator OSC3608	Certified Health Unit Coordinator	53%	90%	$32,014
Healthcare Billing and Coding OSC3030	Certified Billing & Coding Specialist	56%	70%	$37,868
Healthcare Billing and Coding OSC3030	Certified Professional Coder	83%	70%	$37,868
Healthcare Billing and Coding OSC3030	Dual CPC and CPB Certification	50%	70%	$37,868
Heavy Equipment Operations HEO3100	Heavy Equipment Operators	88%	61%	$37,052
Hotel & Lodging Operations HOS4040	Hotel and Lodging Operations	47%	25%	$19,932
IT Support Technician CTS3255	CompTIA Certification	*	57%	$37,724
IT Support Technician CTS3255	Google IT Support Professional Certificate	*	57%	$37,724
Inside Upholstery UPH3102	Furniture Technology	100%	44%	$34,188
Machining Technology MEC3010	Machining Level	*	84%	$52,702
Machining Technology MEC3010	Metalforming	*	84%	$52,702
Maintenance Mechanics MNT3065	Industrial Maintenance Mechanic	85%	74%	$60,304
Maintenance Mechanics MNT3065	Metalforming	90%	74%	$60,304
Manicurist COS3101	Manicurist	86%	58%	$17,532
Manual Cutting UPH3100	Furniture Technology	100%	*	*
Manufacturing Production Tech. MFG3111	Certified Production Technician	85%	71%	$47,076
Masonry MAS3002	Masonry	71%	30%	*
Mechatronics ATR3115	Mechatronics Level I	92%	84%	$54,888
Medical Admin Assistant OST3000	Certified Medical Administrative Assistant	87%	60%	$24,862
Medical Assisting MED3300	Certified Medical Assistant	86%	75%	$32,500
Medical Assisting MED3300	Clinical Medical Assistant	85%	75%	$32,500
Medical Assisting MED3300	Medical Assistant	100%	75%	$32,500
Medical Assisting MED3300	Medical Assisting	93%	75%	$32,500
Medical Assisting MED3300	Registered Medical Assistant	72%	75%	$32,500
Medical Billing and Coding OST3150	Certified Billing & Coding Specialist	41%	68%	$38,572
Medical Billing and Coding OST3150	Certified Professional Biller	69%	68%	$38,572
Medical Billing and Coding OST3150	Certified Professional Coder	*	68%	$38,572
NC Community Health Worker HEA3121	NC Community Health Worker	*	83%	$45,876
Natural Hair Care Specialist COS3104	Natural Hair Care Specialist	82%	60%	$25,710
Nurse Aide Level I NAS3240	Nurse Aide I	79%	79%	$27,910
Nurse Aide Level II NAS3241	Nurse Aide II	80%	89%	$39,104
Nutritional Dietary Mgr. Trng NUT3009	Certified Dietary Manager	92%	38%	$46,152
Outside Upholstery UPH3108	Furniture Technology	100%	*	*
Pharmacy Technician Training PHM3250	Certified Pharmacy Technician	70%	74%	$26,812
Pharmacy Technician Training PHM3250	Psychiatric Technician	*	74%	$26,812
Phlebotomy Experience PBT3022	Phlebotomy Technician	83%	79%	$27,600
Plumbing PLU3024	Plumbing	76%	55%	$29,604
Sewing UPH3101	Furniture Technology	94%	40%	$33,926
Sewing UPH3101	Industrial Sewing & Upholstery	80%	40%	$33,926
Sleep Disorders Technician MED3004	Certified Polysomnographic Technician	*	*	*
Sports Medicine Technology PSF3100	Certified Personal Trainer	80%	56%	$16,992
Substation Maint & Relay Tech EUS3000	Substation Relay Technician	*	*	*
Truck Driver Training TRA3607	Commercial Driver License	84%	66%	$43,852
Welding WLD3106	CAT Welding	*	56%	$33,856
Welding WLD3106	Carpentry	*	56%	$33,856
Welding WLD3106	Certificate in Manufacturing Core Skills	53%	56%	$33,856
Welding WLD3106	Construction	100%	56%	$33,856
Welding WLD3106	Manufacturing Specialist	62%	56%	$33,856
Welding WLD3106	Welding	81%	56%	$33,856

Source: NCCCS, "Some NCCCS WCE Course and Credential Combinations Potentially Eligible for Workforce Pell" (toolkit document, March 2026). Reproduced as published.

Local prices

Price levels vary within North Carolina, though less than in some states. BEA Regional Price Parities, the official measure of local price levels (US = 100), ranged from 98.2 in the Raleigh-Cary metro to 88.0 in the Rocky Mount metro in 2024; the statewide index is 94.3, below the national average. Each row in the credit-program table carries its institution's local index.

The federal test already adjusts for this. The Workforce Pell value-added calculation adjusts completer earnings by regional price parities at the state level before subtracting 150 percent of the poverty guideline and comparing the result to program price, as documented in our value-added earnings test and its technical note. The metro values here go one level finer: a watch-group program in a low-price area may fare better under the federal adjustment than the national screen suggests.

Methods and limits

Programs. IPEDS 2023-24 first-major completions at award levels 20 (under 12 weeks) and 21 (12 weeks to under one year) for North Carolina institutions, aggregated by institution and six-digit CIP code.
Window fit. IPEDS records award bands, not clock hours, so alignment with the Workforce Pell 150-to-599-clock-hour window is approximate.
Coverage. The IPEDS reporting universe is institutions participating in federal Title IV student aid; training providers outside Title IV do not appear. Noncredit programs do not report completions even at reporting institutions; the state's own inventory above is the published exception.
List membership. Each program's six-digit CIP code joins to North Carolina's Workforce Pell occupation list (NCWorks Commission, CPS 04-2026 Appendix B, 364 occupations) through the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk; a program counts as listed if any mapped occupation appears. North Carolina's application asks institutions to declare SOC alignment directly, so the crosswalk join here is this page's screen, not the state's mechanism.
Earnings benchmarks. National field-level medians for sub-one-year certificate completers from Census PSEO, in real 2023 dollars, from our short-term credential outcomes work; state-level program earnings are not available for most fields.
Local prices. BEA Regional Price Parities, all items, 2024 vintage (released February 19, 2026), assigned by each institution's metropolitan area; institutions in micropolitan areas, rural counties, and the Pinehurst-Southern Pines area (no published series) take the state nonmetropolitan-portion value.
Noncredit inventory. NCCCS toolkit document (March 2026), reproduced as published; completion from the NCCCS Colleague system, wage match and earnings from the NC Common Follow-up System quarterly wage records. State definitions, not the federal thresholds.
Completion and placement. For credit programs, no public dataset covers program-level completion or placement rates; the completion counts shown are not completion rates. Both measures are institution-held.
Scope. The state list is as published and may be revised; this page reports the mapping, not a legal eligibility determination.
Further reading. On the federal data infrastructure behind the completion requirement, including how the 70 percent graduation rate is defined, see Christopher Mullin's The data part of Workforce Pell (Community College Daily, May 2026).