Salt Lake City, UT – Health Information Technology (HIT) and Health Information Management (HIM) certificate programs may soon face substantial reductions in federal aid eligibility as sweeping changes to student loan and grant rules take effect in 2026. These programs, often delivered through career schools and community colleges, fall squarely within categories most affected by new Workforce Pell and earnings-accountability measures.
According to federal guidance, HIT/HIM programs that are unaccredited, non-credit, or under 150 instructional hours cannot access federal Title IV funding. Programs between 150 and 600 hours must now meet strict Workforce Pell requirements, including a minimum 70% completion rate, 70% job placement rate, and program tuition that does not exceed graduates’ value-added earnings from prior cohorts.
Beginning July 1, 2026, HIT/HIM programs will also be evaluated under the federal “low earnings outcomes” test. If graduates earn the same or less than local workers with only a high school diploma for two out of three measured years, the program loses Direct Loan eligibility. Entry-level roles in medical records, reimbursement processing, and health data clerking often start near this wage threshold, putting many certificate programs at elevated risk.
Institutions warn that reduced aid access could shrink the pipeline of trained health information professionals at a time when digital health records demand is rising.
