Georgia State University is blaming federal rules for the return of Pell Grants as a primary reason for its decision to close its this summer.

The program won鈥檛 admit any new students but the university said it has a plan to help currently enrolled students at two state prisons finish their programs, which could take up to two years.

Officials cited the administrative challenges of securing federal financial aid, as well as a $24 million budget shortfall, as factors leading to the university鈥檚 decision to halt classes at three correctional facilities, according to a statement sent to Open Campus. The program has been operating since 2016.

Pell Grants are the federal financial aid for low-income students. In July 2023, for the grants for the first time since the 1994 crime bill, which banned federal financial aid for prison education. More than 750,000 students are now eligible for aid, but they must be at a correctional facility that offers a college program approved by the federal Education Department.

Georgia State鈥檚 decision means that around 60 current students, according to numbers provided by faculty, at two state prisons and one federal facility may have to postpone their dreams of earning a degree inside. Incarcerated college students already face significant challenges in completing their degrees because of course disruptions and other interruptions outside of their control.

鈥淭hese students have been disappointed in their lives over and over and over again,鈥� said Katherine Perry, an English professor at Perimeter College, which is part of Georgia State. She was one of the three faculty members who co-founded the prison education program in 2016.

鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 so important that they not put education in that bucket of things that let them down because that鈥檚 why most of them didn鈥檛 get their education before.鈥�

Perry felt blindsided when faculty and staff received an email at the end of November from Cynthia Lester, interim dean of Perimeter College, announcing the decision. The email cited 鈥渇inancial constraints and the substantial administrative demands鈥� of seeking Pell approval from the federal Education Department.

鈥淭he decision was not made lightly, but it does reflect the university鈥檚 commitment to responsible fiscal management and ensuring existing educational initiatives receive the necessary support and resources,鈥� Lester wrote in the email.

Perry said the program has faced financial challenges in the past but they have always been allowed to fundraise. 鈥淚n this case, when we went back to say, 鈥楥an we just raise the difference?鈥� they said no,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd that makes me scratch my head.鈥�

The program has received at least $700,000 in grants since 2022, which may help fund the program for continuing students. In 2023, Georgia State from the Mellon Foundation to fund a literary journal through the prison education program.

Students at the two state prisons have also been able to use Pell Grants since 2020.

According to the statement, Georgia State faced a substantial budget cut of $24.4 million in fiscal year 2024 and anticipates another shortfall next year. The university estimated that the instructional and administrative costs of operating its prison education program across three correctional facilities would be around $180,000 in addition to money that they have received from donors.

The university also noted the challenges of meeting the 鈥渃omplex requirements鈥� and 鈥渙ngoing commitments鈥� of the Pell application process, including navigating the paperwork for the federal Education Department, the accreditation process, and meeting key indicators such as job placement, expected earnings, recidivism rates, and completion rates. The spokesperson also expressed concerns about Georgia State鈥檚 ability to commit to providing services such as tutoring, counseling, and career guidance to incarcerated students.

Georgia State is exploring alternative avenues to recognize 鈥渢he importance of supporting the educational needs of individuals impacted by incarceration,鈥� including discussions with donors to establish a new program catering to students who have a personal experience with incarceration, according to the statement.

Big questions about the future

Last week, Georgia State students calling on the university to reverse the decision. As of Wednesday, 46 faculty members had also signed a asking Provost Nicolle Parsons-Pollard to continue the program.

Some experts in the field are also concerned about what Georgia State鈥檚 decision to shutter its program might foreshadow for other college-in-prison programs across the state and country.

鈥淲e have the fourth largest prison system in the country and we have a really underserved population here,鈥� said Stacy Bell, an English professor at Emory University and board member of the Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison. 鈥淎nd without Georgia State, it raises really big questions about what鈥檚 happening to the higher education-in-prison movement here in Georgia.鈥�

There are currently around 50,000 people incarcerated in the state. The Georgia Department of Corrections did not respond to a request for comment.

Ruth Delaney, director of the Unlocking Potential initiative at the Vera Institute, a nonprofit that provides technical assistance to prison education programs, expressed disappointment at the decision.

鈥淭he federal regulations for Pell-funded prison education program require colleges to deliver postsecondary educational programming that is of comparable quality to that which the students at the other location of the college receive,鈥� she wrote in an email. 鈥淢any of the services, reporting, and processes GSU describes are standard practices that accredited colleges already follow to serve their non-incarcerated student bodies.鈥�

Last May, nine men at Walker State Prison in Rock Springs from Georgia State, becoming the university鈥檚 first class to graduate inside. Three more incarcerated students at Phillips State Prison in Buford graduated in December.

Around 19 students at the federal United States Penitentiary Atlantain September through Georgia State. In January, university officials announced they would no longer be continuing to offer classes at the penitentiary. Georgia State then asked the University of West Georgia, which is planning to launch a Pell-funded bachelor鈥檚 program at the federal facility in the fall, if they would accept the associate鈥檚 students, according to Tiffany Parsons, a sociologist and director of West Georgia鈥檚 prison education program.

West Georgia currently offers classes toward a bachelor鈥檚 degree to one cohort at Hays State Prison, a maximum security men鈥檚 prison. It鈥檚 one of two prison bachelor鈥檚 programs in the state, Parsons said.

The other four-year program is offered at Lee Arrendale, a women鈥檚 prison, through Life University. That program is also in flux after corrections officials they were downsizing the prison.

Faculty have been working with the students at the penitentiary to help with the transition, Parsons said. She will be going into the federal facility to better understand what the students鈥� needs are and what kinds of support services West Georgia can provide going forward. 鈥淲e will have to be there a while and earn those students鈥� trust,鈥� she said.

The incarcerated students were informed about the decision in mid-February. Perry, the English professor, said her students at Walker seemed fearful that they wouldn鈥檛 be able to finish their degrees, despite assurances that Georgia State had a 鈥渢eachout plan,鈥� including the possibility of another college picking up the program in the state prisons.

鈥淢aybe it鈥檚 because they鈥檙e so used to systems letting them down,鈥� Perry said.

A teachout plan outlines how an institution will help its students graduate if it stops operating before all students have completed their programs. Georgia State did not respond to follow-up questions about the details of its plan.

Many of the students who graduated in 2023 began their associate鈥檚 program when the program started in 2016, so it鈥檚 unclear how the current students, most of whom started last fall, will finish within two years.

Perry said the students asked her to quantify the odds that they鈥檇 be able to finish with Georgia State. One student felt particularly strongly about graduating from the same college because his kids were also enrolled at the university.

Just like on the outside, incarcerated students feel that being at a particular college is part of their identity as a student. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what it means to be a proud Panther,鈥� Perry said.

This story is published in partnership with , a nonprofit newsroom focused on higher education. Subscribe to , an Open Campus newsletter on the future of postsecondary education in prison.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com. Follow Georgia Recorder on and .

It鈥檚 the time of the year when young men and women turn their tassels, toss their caps into the sky and dream about a bright future.

But one group of graduates from Georgia鈥檚 class of 23 stands out from the rest.

鈥淭he thing that makes us want to do it, those of us who have taught there, the reason we love it so much is that they鈥檙e the best students we鈥檝e had,鈥� said Georgia State University Perimeter College geology professor Polly Bouker. 鈥淚鈥檝e worked 23 years in higher education, and this has been my absolute top experience.鈥�

On May 5, Perimeter College graduated its first class of students who earned their associate鈥檚 degrees while incarcerated, part of Georgia State University鈥檚 Prison Education Project. The nine graduates from Walker State Prison in Rock Spring earned their degrees in general studies, taking classes in a variety of subjects. According to the college, three graduated with GPAs above 3.9 and the rest were above 3.7.

Bouker began teaching the students in January 2022. Her class included 12 people, the nine graduates and three others who started later. Their ages range from 35 to 61.

At first, Bouker would send a flash drive with video lectures and homework assignments to the prison, but she said the men impressed her with their dedication and curiosity. She said they would often send questions with their homework that demonstrated they were thinking hard about the material.

鈥淣ormally, if you鈥檙e teaching about minerals to students, they鈥檙e just thinking about 鈥榳hat do I need to know to pass the test鈥� and not 鈥榟ow does it relate to something bigger?鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淭hey definitely were thinking about the bigger picture, why things work the way they do and not just taking for granted what I told them.鈥�

She said she was so impressed that despite a three-hour commute each way, Bouker has been driving to the north Georgia prison nearly every week to hold classes in person. She鈥檚 worked with prison administration to be able to bring in rocks, minerals and fossils as well as microscopes to aid in the students鈥� lessons. Last fall, she began working as the program鈥檚 site coordinator as well.

The Georgia Department of Corrections describes Walker State Prison as a facility that provides a pro-social, programmatic environment for change to those offenders who voluntarily request to participate in the program.

Without access to the internet, the students peppered Bouker with questions about all sorts of science and technology subjects. One student interested in particle physics wanted to know all about the CERN Large Hadron Collider, while others were fascinated with Ghat GPT, the advanced AI chatbot.

The students also ask questions about their prospects once they get out.

鈥淭hey鈥檇 make comments on some of that homework they were sending to me before I met them face-to-face, things like 鈥業 can鈥檛 believe I鈥檓 saying this, but I really find this fascinating. Do you think someone like me could ever work as a geologist if I majored in geology when I get out of prison?鈥� And what he meant by someone like me is, is there any chance I could get a job with my history?鈥�

鈥淎nd of course I don鈥檛 know the answer to that, but I said, 鈥業 don鈥檛 think geology is going to be any harder than anything else. There are going to be biases, but you should do what you think you want to do.鈥欌��

Hurdles

Research links educational attainment with a lower recidivism rate, but previously incarcerated people face hurdles in enrolling into college, said GSU Prison Education Program Director Patrick Rodriguez.

鈥淚f our students are able to obtain an education while on the inside, then when they come home, they will be better equipped to face the challenges they will ultimately face on release,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur policies in Georgia lay out clear challenges for housing, education and some government benefits. These issues are pressing considering the high rates of incarceration in Georgia. I am excited to continue working towards a Georgia that supports formerly incarcerated people, and I do believe that we can get there.鈥�

Rodriguez is also the co-executive director of the Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison, whose advocacy includes the Beyond the Box initiative, a push for better education access for formerly incarcerated people.

Among all the other questions on a college application is one asking about the student鈥檚 criminal background. If they tick the box indicating they have been convicted of a felony, they are subject to further questioning.

Rodriguez, who served about five years on drug-related charges before graduating from Kennesaw State University, said his application process was lengthy and difficult to navigate and involved reliving experiences from his past and collecting a large number of documents.

鈥淎ll of this was to convince Kennesaw State University that I was able to continue an education,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel as if my academic history and who I am as a person did not count for anything. There was a spotlight on a crime that I committed years ago, and all I wanted to do was to complete my degree so I could be a productive citizen of Georgia and realize a goal I had set for myself years before.鈥�

Many other potential students stop in their tracks as soon as they get to that question and never complete their applications, said Lawrenceville Democratic state Rep. Gregg Kennard, author of a bill seeking to remove that question from applications in Georgia.

鈥淲e know that just that question is deterring a lot of folks from attending higher education, so we want to remove that barrier, the stigma, and get as many of our high schoolers into seeking a four-year degree as possible,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you look at our prison population statistics, only 1% of the population reflects four-year degree holders. So you get one of our young people into a college with a four-year degree, it almost eliminates them from ever being under correctional control.鈥�

碍别苍苍补谤诲鈥檚 , which will still be active in next year鈥檚 Legislative session, was amended to exempt four violent sex crimes, allowing colleges to ask applicants about arrests or convictions for rape, aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation or aggravated sexual battery.

Kennard said he feels positive about the bill鈥檚 chances.

鈥淚t鈥檚 got bipartisan support, the bill has three Republican sponsors and three Democratic sponsors,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t did get a hearing. We want to bring it back to the Higher Education Committee next year and hopefully get it through.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com. Follow Georgia Recorder on and .