College Access and Success for Justice-Impacted Students

The new Pell Grant for Prison Education Programs (PEPs), launched on July 1, 2023, by the US Department of Education (ED), offers a powerful opportunity to advance racial and economic justice. For the first time since the 1990s, people who are incarcerated will be able to access Pell Grants to pay for postsecondary education. While the Second Chance Pell pilot programs, starting in 2015, have allowed access to the Pell Grant for students in a small number of PEPs, the new program expands Pell eligibility to all people who are incarcerated. Black Americans, who are imprisoned at higher rates and receive longer sentences than white Americans, stand to benefit profoundly from this expansion of access to one of the greatest levers for social and economic mobility – a college degree. Research shows those who receive postsecondary education in prison are 48% less likely to return to prison than those who do not, and most high-growth, high-wage jobs require a degree or credential beyond high school. Unfortunately, the opportunity to attain a postsecondary degree is not evenly distributed and only 35% of state prisons offer college programming.

As the number of prison education programs grows in the coming years, a diverse set of stakeholders will be needed to ensure the program is equitably implemented and successful. The regulations require a lengthy process for prison education program approval. Institutions of higher education must demonstrate that students can transfer and apply credits towards a degree at any location of the college that offers a comparable program and offer career advising and student support services to students that are comparable to those offered on college campuses. With their expertise and longstanding roots in communities across the country, National College Attainment Network (NCAN) member college access and success (CAS) programs are perfectly positioned to help address these needs.

This project is building a cohort of program leaders around the country with expertise in expanding their CAS services to students who are currently and formerly incarcerated with a particular emphasis on students transitioning from prison to a brick-and-mortar college campus. This cohort is receiving intensive professional development and training to engage PEPs and emerge from the project poised to support future CAS programs as more PEPs launch and more students exit prison and enroll in campuses in the free world. By building a cadre of CAS PEP experts, NCAN will help ensure that the PEPs are successful over the long term and that incarcerated students have the guidance and support they need to attain a postsecondary degree.

Tools and Resources

Get to Know Us

Meet our cohort of Ascendium fellows and learn about the work they do, including justice-impacted-focused sessions from NCAN's 2023 and 2024 National Conferences.

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Getting Started

Launching a partnership to support justice-impacted students can be complex. NCAN understands this and has compiled a list of resources and tools to help you get started.

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Partners & Resources

NCAN works closely with our partners to help build a national ecosystem of intermediary organizations that support students who are incarcerated and re-entering the free world.

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Working With Incarcerated Students

There are many barriers to overcome when working with incarcerated students. Learn how to assist with FAFSA completion, accessing technology, and more.

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Re-Entry & Post-Release

For students looking to complete a degree they started in a prison education program, continuing their education is a key element of successful re-entry and re-integration.

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Career Support

One of the most important parts of re-entry for justice-impacted students is finding employment. A good job is key to creating stability and financial support for students recently released.

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NCAN is grateful to Ascendium Education Group for providing the resources to make this fellowship possible.