Understand your
education grant options.
Explore grants and paid training for trade school, apprenticeships and short career programs, plus the TEACH Grant for future teachers. Learn where each one starts.
Program directory
Training and career grants, at a glance
Grants are free money, work-study is a paycheck, and loans must be paid back.
- 01
Workforce Pell Grant
Short job-training programs
- Support
- Pell money for 8 to 15 week programs
- Start here
- The FAFSA
- 02
Job training (WIOA)
American Job Centers
- Support
- Training for job seekers
- Start here
- Your local job center
- 03
Registered Apprenticeship
Earn while you learn
- Support
- Paid training with an employer
- Start here
- Apprenticeship.gov
- 04
TEACH Grant
Future teachers
- Support
- Grant with a teaching service requirement
- Start here
- Your school's aid office
- 05
Pell Grant
Federal grant
- Support
- Grant aid for undergraduates, including at trade schools
- Start here
- The FAFSA
- 06
State grants
State aid programs
- Support
- Need-based aid for residents
- Start here
- The FAFSA and your state
Many state and school grants are first come, first served, so file the FAFSA as soon as it opens.
Practical next steps
Paying for school, one form at a time
- 1Fill out the FAFSAIt is the application for federal grants and most state and school aid.
- 2Check state deadlinesSome state grants have early deadlines, so file as soon as you can.
- 3Ask if your program qualifiesShort career programs may now count for Workforce Pell. The school's aid office can tell you.
- 4Visit an American Job CenterWIOA training money is handled locally, through job centers.
- 5Look at apprenticeshipsRegistered apprenticeships pay you while you train with an employer.
Get the facts
Financial aid myths, checked
- AssumptionMy family earns too much, so the FAFSA is pointless.What to checkMany state and school awards use the FAFSA too. File it and see what you are offered.
- AssumptionGrants are only for recent high school graduates.What to checkAdults returning to school can get federal grants and training help.
- AssumptionGrants never have to be paid back.What to checkUsually true, but some, like the TEACH Grant, can turn into loans. Read the terms.
Common pitfalls
FAFSA details that trip people up
- Missed deadlinesState and school deadlines can be earlier than the federal one.
- Paid scholarship servicesFree tools list the same awards. Do not pay to apply.
- Unread award lettersCheck which parts are grants and which are loans.
Frequently asked questions
Education questions, answered.
Start with the FAFSA. It is the application for Pell Grants, FSEOG, work-study and most state and school aid. Then talk to your school's financial aid office.
Grants usually do not have to be repaid. Some exceptions exist: a TEACH Grant becomes a loan if you do not finish the teaching service, and you may owe money back if you withdraw early.
Not unless you miss the service terms. You must teach full time in a high-need field for four school years at a low-income school or agency, and finish within eight years of leaving school. If not, every TEACH Grant becomes a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest from each disbursement.
The Department of Labor funds it, and local American Job Centers decide who qualifies.
Classroom training is usually paid through an Individual Training Account at an approved provider, and staff must give priority to people on public assistance, other low-income people and those with weak basic skills.
A new use of the Pell Grant. Under the Department of Education's Workforce Pell Grants Final Rule, starting July 2026, Pell can pay for short-term job-training programs of 8 to 15 weeks for the first time.
Official sources
Federal Student Aid and state grant links
Independent guide
GrantsHubUSA explains programs and links to official resources. We do not run these programs or process applications.
Read our editorial policyEligibility wizard
Answer a few questions and see which programs are worth a closer look. Only the agency decides eligibility.