Federal student aid is relatively unsupportive of alternatives to college. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act extended eligible use of Pell Grants to short-term training programs and, in some cases, the classroom components of registered apprenticeships, but further reforms are merited.

Policymakers should reorganize the federal work-study program to support on-the-job training. And they should create ways for new institutions that demonstrate strong outcomes to bypass the traditional accreditation process.