Pell Reinstatement: What Colleges Need to Know

Starting on July 1, 2023, any person who is incarcerated, regardless of sentence length or conviction history, will be eligible to draw on their Pell Grant allotment to pursue postsecondary education with an approved prison education program (PEP). This recent government legislation overturns an almost 30-year ban on Pell Grant eligibility for people who are incarcerated. As with any government legislation, there are critically important rules that must be followed by various stakeholders including colleges, corrections, and accreditors. This webinar brings together MSCHE, Maryland Department of Corrections, New Jersey’s Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons consortium (NJ-STEP), and Vera Institute of Justice to share important federal government updates, best practices from corrections, and tips for colleges as they prepare for Pell reinstatement.

MSCHE Prison Education Programs Guidance Document

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, participants will

•  Understand how the US Department of Education’s final Pell Grant reinstatement regulations provide colleges, accreditors, and corrections with an opportunity to ensure high quality prison education programs
•  Understand how corrections and community-based organizations have an important role in the required stakeholder group
•  Learn how MSCHE is moving forward with its guidance to help colleges and their partners implement and maintain high quality prison education programs;
•  Have access to resources from the US Department of Education, MSCHE, and the Vera Institute of Justice.

Click Here to Register

Cost: Free

The event will be recorded and distributed to registrants following the live event.

Chris Agans, Executive Director of New Jersey’s Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons consortium (NJ-STEP), Rutgers University

Danielle Cox, Director of Education, Maryland Department of Corrections

Dr. Sean McKitrick, Vice President, Institutional Field Relations, Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Dr. Belinda Wheeler, Senior Program Associate on Vera Institute of Justice’s Unlocking Potential Team