These Colleges Are Offering Fired Federal Employees Free and Discounted Programs
Credit: Al Drago / Bloomberg / Getty Images- More than 100,000 federal positions have been eliminated so far, and tens of thousands more federal employees are at risk of losing their jobs.
- By the end of 2025, an economic advising firm projects around 200,000 federal employees could be unemployed due to the cuts.
- As of now, three colleges and universities are offering discounted tuition for certain graduate programs and free certificate programs for impacted workers.
- Many of these in-person and online programs are available through the end of the year.
Colleges in and around Washington, D.C., are discounting tuition and even offering free certificate courses for federal employees laid off by the Trump administration.
The Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) workforce optimization initiative has told federal agencies to reduce and reorganize their workforces. Oxford Economics estimates that around 200,000 federal employees could lose their jobs by the end of 2025.
As of March 18, a CNN tracker counts at least 103,000 jobs cut from the federal government since President Donald Trump returned to office.
And some of those cuts could impact higher education and the disbursement of college students’ federal financial aid, such as Pell Grants and work study.
Trump has said he wants to close the Department of Education (ED). And just over one week after she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced she would cut nearly 50% of the department’s workforce — nearly 2,000 employees — this month.
Here are the colleges and universities that are stepping up to help impacted federal employees build personal, business, leadership, and private-sector skills through in-person and online programs.
Colleges Offering Financial Assistance for Laid-Off Federal Workers
Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
School of Continuing Studies
The university is offering a 30% discount on online certificate programs to eligible former federal employees. The focus is on enhancing in-demand leadership and critical skills for careers in the private sector. If you’re eligible, you can take up to two online certificate programs with the discount.
The certificates include:
- Artificial Intelligence Governance and Compliance
- Cybersecurity Strategy
- Data Science
- Finance for Nonfinancial Managers
- Project Management
- Leadership
- Negotiation
You can register for courses through the end of 2025.
Current and recently laid-off federal employees may also qualify for a 10% tuition discount on master’s degrees. The university is waiving application fees and extending deadlines for most master’s programs for fall 2025.
Northern Virginia Community Colleges
NOVAnext (NOVA New Employment, Exploration and Transition)
The community college system is offering free virtual workshops on interview techniques, resume writing, and artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, and free certification or training in:
- Information Technology
- Human Resources and Project Management
- Entrepreneurship
To begin, complete the NOVAnext interest form and the online application when it becomes available.
To qualify, you must have been laid off on or after Jan. 24, 2025, have lived in Virginia for at least one year, and reside in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park.
University of Maryland, College Park
Robert H. Smith School of Business
The university’s school of business is giving recently laid-off federal workers 30% off tuition in their first year for graduate business programs designated in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). They can also qualify for 30% off any existing in-person or virtual executive education training course or workshop.
The programs are open to anyone who was employed at the start of 2025 regardless of their current employment at the time of admission. The programs will be available for any applications or enrollment processed in 2025.
Eligible graduate programs:
- Accounting
- Business Analytics
- Finance
- Information Systems
- Management Studies
- Marketing Analytics
- Quantitative Finance
- Supply Chain Management
- Full-Time Master’s of Business Administration (MBA)
- Flex MBA
- Online MBA
- Executive MBA
Any UMD, College Park alum terminated or retired from federal civil service in 2025 can also enroll in these certificate programs for free:
- Foundations of Business
- AI for Business Leaders
- Climate Finance and Risk Management
- Python Programming for Business
- Technology Leadership and Governance