State Policy
Collecting 260E Success Stories
With the legislative session only weeks away, lawmakers under the Iowa DOGE task force are taking aim at the Iowa Industrial New Jobs Training Program, also known as 260E. Community colleges, businesses, and economic developers are working together to collect success stories to showcase the unique aspects and profound impact of this program. These will be featured on CCforIowa’s website, newsletter, and social media alongside partners’ channels. To submit your institution’s success stories, email Executive Director Emily Shields at ejshields@ccforiowa.org.
Calling All to Contact Your Legislators about Community College Priorities
We are encouraging all community college supporters – students, graduates, employers, trustees, and employees – to participate in our new Quorum campaign focused on sharing our legislative priorities. By reaching out to legislators now, we are able to show the future we’re envisioning as we mark the 60th Anniversary of the Iowa community college model in 2026. Take action here.
Sign Up Drive for Quorum growing Community College Advocates
We are TRIPLING the number of voices ready to speak up for community colleges. Quorum is an advocacy platform that makes it easier than ever to be informed and take action on community college issues. By signing up, Quorum advocates get:
Exclusive insights on how decisions the Iowa State Legislature is considering will affect Iowa Community Colleges.
Direct communication with your legislators with suggested email messages in times that matter the most for them to hear from you.
Considered for “Outstanding Advocate,” a new annual award recognizing those going above and beyond.
Be sure you’re signed up and invite 3 people to join Quorum.
Federal Update
Negotiations on draft Workforce Pell Regulations
This past Monday, December 8, the Accountability in Education and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) negotiated rulemaking committee began its first session. Importantly, this session’s negotiations focus on the draft regulations for the Workforce Pell program – impacting eligibility requirements, Governor responsibilities, and adding various conditions and clarification to the statutory text.
The eligibility requirements under the draft regulations are primarily refined in two ways. First, programs must fall within a defined length—150 to 599 clock hours over eight to 14 weeks—with most non-credit programs qualifying, except for remedial non-credit or reduced-credit coursework embedded within for-credit programs. Second, the ED will evaluate programs to determine whether their tuition and fees are lower than the “value-added earnings” of its completers. Doing so by comparing program costs to graduate earnings, relying on multi-year cohorts to build sufficient sample sizes. It's notable that the regulations do not specify consequences for programs without calculable results, implying they may still be approved by meeting other eligibility criteria.
Another major focus of the draft regulations is the governor’s role in the initial approval phase. Governors, working with state workforce boards, must determine whether programs align with high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations within the state, award stackable and portable credentials, and prepare students for further education with credit applicability. While governors are still granted wide discretion in these determinations, the regulations require them to develop formal written policies outlining their methodology. Includes analyzing employer-aligned competencies, documenting institutional information needed to verify eligibility, and using administrative data such as wage records to calculate completion and placement rates.
New lower earnings indicator on FAFSA Form
The U.S. Department of Education put out a press release announcing the launch of a new earnings indicator included in the 2026-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. The earnings indicator will notify students, after completing their FAFSA form, whether graduates of their selected schools earn more than a comparable cohort of high school graduates. The indicator will make these determinations by utilizing College Scorecard data, which measures the median earnings of undergraduate completers, four years after graduation, who are working and are not currently enrolled in a higher education program. Notably, this indicator is only available to first-year undergraduates. Meaning returning students and transfer students will not receive this flag on their forms.
Additionally, the Department of Education has released the full list of earnings data for all undergraduate institutions and flags which schools are currently designated as lower earnings. An initial analysis by the American Association of Community Colleges found that about 1.5% of community colleges – or less than 20 community colleges – fall within the lower earnings indicator. Nonetheless, each community college should review the data to compare their median earnings to the median earnings of Iowa’s high school graduates.