Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Workforce Innovation for Next-Gen in Skies Act of 2026” or the “WINGS Act of 2026”.
Workforce Innovation for Next-Gen in Skies Act of 2026
A BILL
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include certain licensure, certification, and aviation training costs in the determination of the cost of attendance of a student, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Cost of attendance
in subsection (a)—
in paragraph (13), by striking “; and” and inserting a semicolon;
in paragraph (14), by striking the period and inserting “; and”; and
by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
“(15) for a student enrolled in a qualifying aviation-related program of study, reasonable costs associated with licensure, certification, or aviation training related to such program (as determined by the institution), including—
“(A) aviation laboratory training fees;
“(B) the cost of instructional hours in an aircraft or simulator, or ground instruction;
“(C) the cost of aviation training materials and equipment;
“(D) exam and licensing fees, including the cost of a practical test; or
“(E) other fees that are directly incurred as part of aviation training.”
in subsection (c), by striking “14” and inserting “15”; and
by adding at the end the following new subsection:
“(d) Definitions—In this section:
“(1) CIP code—The term CIP code means the 6-digit taxonomic identification code assigned by an institution of higher education to a specific program of study at the institution, determined by the institution in accordance with the Classification of Instructional Programs published by the National Center for Education Statistics.
“(2) Qualifying aviation-related program of study—The term qualifying aviation-related program of study means a program of study—
“(A) that has been assigned a CIP code—
“(i) that begins with 49.01;
“(ii) that is 47.0607, 47.0608, or 47.0609; or
“(iii) identified by the Secretary as relating to preparing students for employment in the aviation industry; and
“(B) that awards an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree upon completion of the program.”
Effective date— The amendments made by subsection (a) shall take effect on July 1, 2027, and apply with respect to award year 2027–2028 and each subsequent award year, as determined under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.).
Sec. 3 Professional student
Section 455(a)(4)(C)(ii) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(a)(4)(C)(ii)) is amended—
by striking “program of study that” and all that follows and inserting “program of study that—”; and
by adding at the end the following:
“(I) awards a professional degree, as defined under section 668.2 of title 34, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this paragraph), upon completion of the program; or
“(II) provides the training described in part 141 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulations).”