The U.S. Department of Education Expands Second Chance Pell Experiment
Author: Robert King | Posted on: April 26, 2020
U.S. Department of Education invited a new cohort of 67 schools to participate in its Second Chance Pell experiment, creating more education opportunities for incarcerated students. Prior to the announcement, there were 63 schools located in 26 states participating in this experiment. The expansion more than doubles the size of the experiment, allowing incarcerated students to use Federal Pell Grants at 130 schools located in 42 states and the District of Columbia.
The Second Chance Pell Experiment, originally created in 2015, provides need-based Federal Pell Grants to individuals incarcerated in federal and state prisons. The grants allow incarcerated individuals to receive Federal funding to enroll in postsecondary programs offered by local colleges and universities or distance learning providers. In the first two years of the experiment, institutions were awarded approximately $36.2 million in Federal Pell Grants. According to Federal Student Aid records, nearly 5,000 incarcerated students received Federal Pell Grants in the 2016–17 award year, and 6,750 incarcerated students received Federal Pell Grants in the 2017–2018 award years. And according to a recent study by the Vera Institute of Justice, more than 4,000 credentials—including postsecondary certificates, associate degrees, and bachelor's degrees—have been awarded to Second Chance Pell students over the past three years.
Additionally, according to the Rand Corporation, individuals who participate in correctional education programs are 43% less likely to return to prison than those who do not.
After receiving more than 180 letters of interest from colleges and universities, the Department selected the below 67 new institutions to participate in the second cohort of the Second Chance Pell Experiment.
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Albany Technical College Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Barton County Community College Boston College Bowie State University Brewton-Parker College California State University, Sacramento Calvin University Central Arizona College Central Georgia Technical College Chaminade University of Honolulu Claflin University Colby Community College Columbia Greene Community College Community College of Rhode Island Community College of Vermont CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College Delaware Technical Community College Donnelly College Dyersburg State Community College Eastern University Fletcher Technical Community College Georgetown University Georgia State University Holmes Community College Hutchinson Community College Imperial Community College District Inver Hills Community College Kankakee Community College Kansas City Kansas Community College Lane College Life University Madison Area Technical College Marion Technical College Maysville Community & Technical College Miami Dade College Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Missouri State University - West Plains Nashville State Community College Northshore Technical Community College Ozarks Technical Community College Palm Beach State College Piedmont Virginia Community College Rio Salado College Rose State College Salt Lake Community College Siena Heights University Southeastern Community College Southside Virginia Community College St. Francis College St. Lawrence University SUNY Adirondack Community College SUNY College at Potsdam Tennessee College of Applied Technology Dickson Tennessee College of Applied Technology Jacksboro Texarkana College Treasure Valley Community College Trinidad State Junior College Trinity Valley Community College University of Maryland Eastern Shore University of Saint Mary University of the Southwest Walla Walla Community College Washburn University Washington County Community College Western Oklahoma State College Williamsburg Technical College |
Source: US Department of Education