Prep your campus for the opportunity to offer Pell Grants to incarcerated students

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Education announced it will reinstate Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students, starting with the 2023–2024 academic year, reversing a 1994 decision that barred incarcerated people from accessing Pell funds. That decision came with the passage of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid Simplification Act and will go into effect July 1, 2023. Findings by the Prison Policy Institute found that restoring Pell Grant access could make approximately 463,000 people eligible for free college courses.