Ivy Tech Community College is the second school in the nation to win approval from the U.S. Department of Education for a Workforce Pell Grant program.
The U.S. Department of Education announced Ivy Tech’s nod on Aug. 19 for its clinical medical assistant program, an eight-week program that prepares students for careers in key healthcare professions, according to a release.
The approval enables eligible students to apply for Pell Grants for short-term, accredited programs that can be completed in as little as eight weeks.
It was part of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, passed by Congress in 2025.
Iowa Central Community College won the nation’s first Pell Grant program approval on Aug. 4 for a 14-week emergency medical technician training program.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon praised Ivy Tech’s program: “At a moment when our workforce needs more practical routes into good-paying jobs, Ivy Tech Community College’s Workforce Pell Grant program is making history and will create a powerful career pipeline into essential healthcare professions,” she said.
The medical assistant’s program is offered at all of Northwest Indiana’s Ivy Tech campuses.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
