Prison Education Programs (PEPs) require pre-approval before any federal financial aid can be administered. The Department of Education application is filed via the E-App, and requires supportive documentation from both the correctional oversight entity and the applicable accreditor. Both public and private nonprofit institutions of higher education can apply, but proprietary institutions are not eligible. Programs can be delivered in a variety of modalities and student participation is not restricted by sentence type.
The following resources will help you start a PEP:
Tip Sheet for Financial Aid Administrators Working with Refugee & Asylee Students
Prison Education Program Web Center
Prison Education Program Community Interest Form
Administration of Financial Aid for Prison Education Programs
Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Information
Tips to Help Students in Unique Situations and Populations
Grant Program Challenges Institutions to Help Students Succeed After Graduation
Pell Grants May Not Meet Incarcerated Students’ Financial Need, Research Shows
NASFAA Policy Update: December 2022
How First-Generation Students Prepare and Perceive College Affordability
It Starts With Access: How Institutions Are Supporting First-Generation Students
Free Tuition Programs for Indigenous Students Pick Up Steam Across the Country
Students in Unique Situations: Tips for Completing the 2021-22 FAFSA
Seeking to Expand Access, Some Community Colleges Offer Bachelor’s Degrees
Higher Ed Groups Urge Institutions to Use Universal System for Tracking Credentials
Report Finds That 36 Million Americans Have Some College But No Degree
Institutions Partner With States to Help Student-Parents, But More Is Needed
Event Discusses Route to Higher Education for Nontraditional Students
GAO: More Than Half of Student Parents Drop Out, Data Is Lacking on the Program That Helps Them
House Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Help Working Students Access Financial Aid
Students in Unique Situations: Tips for Completing the 2020-21 FAFSA
Report: Free College Movement Continues to Exclude Older Students
Study: Many Adult Learners Struggle With Financial Aid Applications Due to Jargon
Report Highlights Benefits of Targeting College Promise Programs Toward Adults
Students in Unique Situations: Tips for Completing the 2019–20 FAFSA
Report Finds Lower Completion Rates for Students in Two-Year Institutions, Adult Learners
ACE Paper Recommends Ways to Better Serve Nontraditional Students
Student Aid Tips for Adult Learners
States Shifting Focus to Adult Students, Improving Education of Workforce
Comment Request: Measuring Educational Gain in the National Reporting System for Adult Education
Notice: Tests Determined To Be Suitable for Use in the National Reporting System for Adult Education
ED Undersecretary Mitchell Addresses Accreditation, Experimentation at DC Event
ED Discusses Title IV Eligibility, Competency-Based Education at 2016 National Conference
In Case You Missed It… ED Issued Several Announcements Over the Holidays
Report Calls for More Comprehensive Financial Assistance for Low-Income Students
Experimental Sites Still Open for Applications
Panel Discusses Apprenticeships as Alternative Career Pathway, Entryway to Higher Education
Report: Four Common Decision Points in Successful State Reverse Transfer Policies
Innovative Learning Models Task Force Report
Improving Financial Aid to Meet the Needs of Innovative Learning Models