Federal student aid needs a program of at least 600 clock hours over 15 weeks at a for-profit school, or 300 clock hours over 10 weeks for Direct Loans only, and only at a school already approved for federal aid. A 270-hour lash and brow program, like the one Utah's license requires, is under both lines. Its students pay the school directly, so the usual answer is the school's own payment plan, a deposit at enrollment and the balance weekly or every two weeks over the course, with no lender and no credit check.
In PaycovePaycove runs your school's own payment plan for short programs, weekly or every two weeks, with no lender and no credit check on the student. See it in 15 minutes →
Why can't a short program use federal student aid?
Because of its length. The rules for which programs can use Title IV aid are in 34 CFR 668.8.
At a for-profit school or a postsecondary vocational school, an undergraduate program generally has to:
- run at least 15 weeks of instruction, and
- be at least 600 clock hours (or 16 semester hours, or 24 quarter hours).
A shorter program of 300 to 599 clock hours over at least 10 weeks can qualify for federal Direct Loans only, and only if it has a completion rate and a placement rate of at least 70% and has been offered for at least a year before the school applies (668.8(d)(3) and (e)).
Under 300 clock hours, neither line is met. And every eligible program has to be offered by a school that already takes part in federal aid (668.8(a)), which a new for-profit school can't do until it has been accredited and in existence for two years (34 CFR 600.5).
Which programs fall under the line?
Many licensed beauty programs, such as lash and brow, need fewer hours than the federal lines. Two examples from the states' own rules:
- Utah requires an eyelash and eyebrow technology license from 1 January 2026. Training at a school needs "a minimum of 270 hours of instruction", or an approved apprenticeship (Utah Code 58-11a-302.15).
- Tennessee requires an eyelash specialist license with a course of "no less than 300 hours" of classroom instruction and practical experience (Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners).
A 270-hour course is under both federal lines. A 300-hour course reaches the Direct Loan line only if it also runs ten weeks and meets the 70% tests above. Hours vary by state and change, so check your own board's page before you plan around a number.
Does Workforce Pell cover short programs?
Only some, and only at schools already in the federal aid system. Under 34 CFR 690.92, a workforce program has to run at least 8 but fewer than 15 weeks, be at least 150 but fewer than 600 clock hours, be approved by the state's governor, and meet the Department of Education's earnings test.
So a short program can't use it if the school isn't participating in federal aid, if the course runs fewer than eight weeks, or if the governor hasn't approved it. Workforce Pell and short allied health programs covers who had been approved as of 30 September 2026.
What can a school offer students instead?
Three ways, and most schools offer more than one:
- Pay in full at enrollment or by the first day.
- A loan from a private lender that works with the school. Each lender decides which schools it works with, and a new school may be turned down. A student lender declined your school covers what to do then.
- A payment plan from the school itself. The school sets the deposit, the schedule and the terms. There's no lender to approve the school and no credit check on the student. The school does need a way to take payments, such as a Stripe account, and Stripe verifies the business behind every account it pays out to.
How does a payment plan work on a short course?
The plan runs over weeks, not months. As an illustration, a $3,000 course might take a $600 deposit at enrollment and eight weekly payments of $300. Every two weeks works too, if that matches when your students are paid.
A few decisions to make before the first student enrolls:
- When the plan ends. On the last day of the course, or a few weeks after. A plan that ends with the course means you're paid before students leave.
- The deposit. Enough to hold the seat and cover kits or supplies the student takes home.
- What happens when a payment fails. Who follows up, how quickly, and whether the student can pay by bank transfer instead of card.
- Withdrawals. What the student owes if they leave partway, following any refund rules your state sets for schools.
Put all of it in your enrollment agreement, so what the student signs matches what you charge.
Is a school's own payment plan a loan?
Not in the everyday sense, since there's no lender and no interest. But federal Truth in Lending rules and some states can treat a plan as credit, depending on how many payments it has and where your school is. Is a 0% payment plan a loan? walks through the federal rules, and California's tuition plan registration covers California's. Check both before you set your terms.
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Paycove runs your school's own payment plan for short programs, weekly or every two weeks, with no lender and no credit check on the student.
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