A key component for incarcerated students’ ability to participate in Prison Education Programs (PEPs) will be their eligibility for financial aid. Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the critical step required to secure
financial assistance. Here are some initial steps for getting this process started:
The primary funding these students will be eligible for is the Pell Grant. Potential students should be provided the Confined or Incarcerated Student fact sheet to help them with a basic understanding of the program and how Pell Grants can support their enrollment. Additional information about aid eligibility can be found here.
Some state financial aid programs are also available to students who are incarcerated, and the FAFSA is often the key to unlocking state aid as well federal. According to the National Conference for State Legislatures, 17 states have no regulatory or statutory ban on people who are incarcerated receiving state financial aid and New Jersey recently expanded access. Checking in with state aid agencies and higher education institutions can clarify the available options for aid.
Higher education programs should establish a process for assisting students with completing the FAFSA. This may be an area where local community-based access and success (CAS) programs can get involved. Many correctional facilities limit internet
access to incarcerated individuals which leads to having to complete the paper version of the FAFSA. Note that the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) produces English and Spanish paper versions labeled specifically for incarcerated students. The form is identical
to the regular FAFSA but contains a different mailing address for processing.
For those individuals who are provided internet access, they can complete the online version of the form. To do so, these persons will need to set up a StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID) or perhaps update it if they previously had an account. Please
note that if an individual had a previous account and then completes a paper FAFSA, the demographic information must match before the form can be processed. Special instructions for updating the account are provided by FSA.
In early 2024, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) provided a workshop that contained a walk-through for completing
the paper 2024-25 FAFSA. NASFAA will offer an updated version of this workshop for the 2025-26 FAFSA in February 2025.
Those assisting students with completion of the FAFSA can utilize the National College Attainment Network’s (NCAN) 2025-26 FAFSA Resources for Practitioners page. Local
access programs can also use these resources to train prison program personnel who may be directly assisting students.
Lifetime Pell eligibility
With the Pell Grant being the cornerstone of aid programs that incarcerated individuals will likely be eligible for, it is important to understand the guidelines/limits for receiving Pell Grants.
NASFAA has produced a very informative document that contains many details that program personnel and the students need to know. This document is one of many
valuable resources found on NASFAA’s Prison Education Program Web Center.
There are criteria for every student that wants to receive any version of federal student aid. Programs should review these criteria with students to confirm they will be eligible for aid after completing the FAFSA.
CAS programs may be well suited to helping prospective students understand their postsecondary educational options considering their career aspirations and the available postsecondary educational options in their correctional facility. Using up one’s
available Pell Grant allotment on courses that don’t allow them to earn credits towards degrees or credentials, and/or earning credits towards degrees or credentials where there are licensing restrictions, will limit a student’s earning power
once they are released. Thoughtful counseling, grounded in students’ life goals, can be pivotal in helping students maximize their federal financial aid and the prison education programs available to them.
Obtaining necessary documents
Students may need to secure a variety of documents to complete the admissions and/or financial aid process, especially if they have any previous enrollment history. “Beyond the Box (2023)” is a very helpful guide that contains a complete overview of managing
a program and specifically addresses the challenges for securing needed documents. The guide also contains:
An overview of education and criminal justice in the United States, with a focus on the importance of increasing access to higher education for system-involved individuals
Data on the barriers that formerly incarcerated students face both during the admissions process and while enrolled
Recommendations to mitigate barriers to enrollment and ensure persistence and completion
Resources for further exploration, including organizations that are currently doing this work
Loan default
Being in default on federal student loans may inhibit a person from being eligible for federal student aid. When possible, programs should inquire of potential students if this may be the case. If so, FSA has placed the following information on their
website about getting out of default. Please note that these steps need to be taken before the incarcerated individual is an actual student.
Am I eligible for loan consolidation while I am confined in an adult correctional facility or a juvenile justice facility?
If you are otherwise eligible, you can consolidate your federal student loans into a new Direct Consolidation Loan if you are incarcerated, as long as you are not a student at the time of consolidation.
Note: This guidance has been revised effective April 16, 2024, to allow individuals who are currently incarcerated but are not currently students to consolidate their loans. This change in the interpretation of Section 484(b)(5) of the Higher Education Act of 1965,
as amended (HEA), is consistent with how the HEA and implementing regulations define “student,” “individual,” and “borrower,” which we interpret to allow incarcerated individuals, but not incarcerated students, to consolidate their
loans. Since the adoption of the US Department of Education (ED) prior policy in 1992, ED has increased access to income-driven repayment plans to help borrowers manage their loans, and many defaulted borrowers use loan consolidation to gain access
to those repayment options. This policy will help incarcerated borrowers manage and repay their loans.
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