Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) Policy and Regulatory Guidance Prison Education Programs (PEPs)

Publication Year
2023

On October 28, 2022, the United States Department of Education (USDE) published final regulations that provide a framework for how to implement Pell reinstatement and ensure highquality postsecondary education in correctional facilities. The regulations will take effect on July 1, 2023. Specifically, the FAFSA Simplification Act, passed on December 27, 2020, restored Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students. Now, for the first time since the 1990s, people who are confined or incarcerated who are enrolled in an eligible prison education program (PEP) will be able to access federal financial assistance through the Pell Grant program. This document provides guidance on how students who are confined or incarcerated can access federal Pell grants. 

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