Recognizing that hundreds of thousands of incarcerated people are poised to become newly eligible for Pell Grants, higher education advocates are not only celebrating the college access implications but also considering what’s needed to ensure quality and equity.
Topics: Incarcerated students
Pandemic relief bill simplifies FAFSA, broadens access to financial aid
The omnibus spending and stimulus package passed by Congress on December 21 not only provides another round of dedicated funding for higher education institutions but also includes significant changes for student financial aid—shortening the FAFSA, allowing incarcerated students to access Pell grants, and replacing the “expected family contribution” with a new index.
Georgetown Pivot program graduates second cohort
After 10 months, 305 classroom hours, and 105 virtual hours, the Georgetown Pivot Program’s second cohort of fellows graduated this month, prepared for professional success and to be changemakers in their communities.
Pivot Program recognized as one of 25 ‘Innovations That Inspire’
The Association to Advance Collegiate Business Schools has named the Georgetown Pivot Program as one of 25 leading ways that business schools are transforming higher education by transcending the cultural, political, economic, and financial contexts in which they serve.
Pell Grant to Georgetown Prisons and Justice Initiative will expand programs
The university will use a new Second Chance Pell Grant from the U.S. Department of Education to bolster existing work and launch a new Bachelor of Liberal Arts program at the Patuxent Institution in Maryland.
COVID-19 puts damper on prison-based college programs
For thousands of incarcerated students, the pandemic hasn’t just moved their programs online—it has postponed them indefinitely.
Education department doubles number of Second Chance Pell institutions
Federal officials have invited 67 additional schools—including Georgetown University—to participate in a program that gives incarcerated students access to need-based aid through partnerships between correctional facilities and colleges.
California pushing to expand prison-based bachelor’s degree programs
The state—often on the leading edge of prison-based education—may soon expand bachelor’s degrees offerings for incarcerated students.
Georgetown Prison Scholars Program receives $1M Mellon Foundation grant
The funding will enable Georgetown to begin offering a path to bachelor’s degrees for incarcerated students at Maryland’s Patuxent Institution.
The trade-offs of online prison education
Online education may offer new opportunities to reach incarcerated students, but skeptics point to logistical challenges and potential vulnerabilities.
Georgetown Pivot Program graduates its first cohort
Fifteen fellows have completed Georgetown University’s Pivot Program, which offers a certificate in business and entrepreneurship for formerly incarcerated Washington, D.C., residents who show strong leadership potential.
Will the Second Chance Pell program soon be permanent?
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos recently called for making the Second Chance Pell program permanent—a change that would make aid available to almost half a million incarcerated students.