# 2026-03354: Uncle Sam Speeds Up: Easier Hires for Fresh College Grads

2026-03354, Hiring Authority for College Graduates, is a Federal Register rule from Personnel Management Office published 2026-02-20, effective 2026-03-23; deemed significant under Executive Order 12866 (as of 2026-06-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-03354
- As of: 2026-06-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-03354
- Title: Hiring Authority for College Graduates
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Personnel Management Office
- Citation: 91 FR 8067
- Published: 2026-02-20
- Effective: 2026-03-23
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: yes (FR_METADATA)
- Touches household money: no
- Regulation identifier numbers: 3206-AN79
- Last updated: 2026-06-11

## In one line

Uncle Sam Speeds Up: Easier Hires for Fresh College Grads

## Summary

Starting March 23, 2026, the government is making it easier to hire college grads for certain federal jobs. This new rule gives agencies more flexibility to bring in fresh talent quickly and fairly, helping recent grads jumpstart their careers. It’s a win for job seekers and the government, with no extra costs but a smoother hiring process.

## Abstract

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final rule to amend its career and career-conditional employment regulations. The revision is necessary to implement the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. This statute requires OPM to issue regulations establishing a hiring authority for college graduates into positions at specified grades in the competitive service. The intended effect of the authority is to provide additional flexibility in hiring eligible and qualified individuals.

## Effects PRIA read

- Direct Hiring for Recent Graduates: benefit, medium. Starting March 23, 2026, agencies may appoint college graduates directly into competitive service jobs at the GS-11 level and below. The rule implements 5 U.S.C. 3115 and lets agencies hire eligible baccalaureate or graduate degree holders into professional and administrative positions without foll…
- Two-Year Eligibility Window Clarified: benefit, medium. You are eligible if you apply no later than two years after completing your bachelor’s or graduate degree, or no later than two years after release from an intervening full-time active-duty uniformed service of at least four years. Agencies may accept applications from people who expect to finish t…
- Veterans' Preference Not Required: cost, medium. Under this authority, agencies may appoint eligible and qualified college graduates without regard to veterans' preference or to rating and ranking rules found in 5 U.S.C. 3309–3319 and 3330. That means veterans' preference rules do not apply to selections made under this hiring authority.
- 15% Agency Appointment Cap: cost, medium. An agency may not appoint more than 15 percent of its competitive examining appointments (to professional or administrative positions at GS-11 or below) in a fiscal year using this authority. Agencies must base the 15 percent on the number of individuals the agency appointed under competitive exami…
- Career-Conditional Tenure on Hire: benefit, low. A person hired under this college graduate authority becomes a career-conditional employee upon appointment unless they already have career tenure or are excepted under Sec. 315.201(c). This defines the initial tenure status for people appointed under the rule.
- Agency Implementation Cost Estimate: cost, low. OPM estimates initial implementation will cost about 100 hours of work per agency in year one, using an assumed labor cost that yields about $15,630 per agency and about $1,250,400 in total governmentwide. OPM does not expect substantial ongoing administrative cost increases from the rule.
- DoD Exclusion During Direct Hire Period: mixed, low. The rule does not apply to the Department of Defense while DOD's post-secondary student direct hire authority is effective. Section 1116 of Public Law 118-31 extended the DOD direct hire authority for post-secondary students until September 30, 2030.

## Related documents

- [2026-19222](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19222): Employment in the Excepted Service, 2026-09-18
- [2026-18828](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-18828): Shared Certificates and Pooled Hiring Actions, 2026-09-15
- [2026-18800](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-18800): Reduction in Force; Correction, 2026-09-15
- [2026-16687](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16687): Differential Pay for Prescribed Wildland Fire Activities, 2026-08-14
- [2026-15650](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15650): Suitability Action Appeals, 2026-08-03
- [2026-15666](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15666): Reduction in Force Appeals, 2026-08-03

## Sources
- [2026-03354 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/20/2026-03354/hiring-authority-for-college-graduates)
- [2026-03354 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-02-20/pdf/2026-03354.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-03314, General Provisions](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-03314)
- [Next: 2026-03366, Pesticide Tolerances; Implementing Registration Review Decisions for Certain Pe…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-03366)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-03354 (as of 2026-06-11).