Prison Education Foundation Scholarship

Prison Education Foundation Scholarship is sponsored by Prison Education Foundation. This scholarship is dedicated to providing incarcerated men and women with the opportunity to change their lives through higher education.

Prison Education Foundation » Scholarship Qualifications Scholarship Qualifications The Prison Education Foundation TM is able to grant only a limited number of scholarships. All scholarships are based on the availability of donor funding. To qualify for consideration, an inmate must meet certain eligibility requirements.

The eligibility requirements are as follows: You must have a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate, You must be a U.S. citizen, You must be within seven (7) years of your scheduled release date, You must have no serious disciplinary incidents within the past 12 months, and You must be accepted into an Associate or Baccalaureate degree program with a regionally accredited college or university approved by the Prison Education Foundation.

Additionally, preference will be given to those inmates who meet one or both of the following criteria: You successfully earned your GED while incarcerated, and/or You are willing and able to pay part of the net cost of your tuition and only need the Prison Education Foundation to provide a partial scholarship of matching dollars.

Because some individuals have good intentions but lack the ability or willingness to follow through to completion, scholarships normally are awarded in incremental amounts and are based on academic performance. Initial scholarship grants are normally awarded for a maximum of four(4) credit hours.

The foundation prefers that the recipient enroll in two(2) classes totaling eight(8) credit hours and personally be willing to pay one-half of the tuition, although only one class may be taken with the foundation paying the entire tuition. The recipient may complete the initial class or classes as rapidly as desired, then enroll for the next semester of classes and apply for a larger scholarship.

The recipient may qualify for a scholarship award of up to twice the actual amount received the previous semester leading up to a maximum course load of sixteen(16) credit hours per semester. This performance-based scholarship granting method protects and maximizes donor funds, and rewards those individuals who are willing and able to do the intellectually rigorous work required to complete an education.

The foundation may also provide full or partial scholarships to individuals who are not currently in a state or federal prison and meet the following three conditions: You must have been incarcerated in a state or federal prison, or a local jail, within the past twelve(12) months, You must have applied for and received all federal, state and other grants and loans that are available to you now that you are no longer incarcerated, and You must already have been receiving a scholarship from the Prison Education Foundation TM at the time of your release; or alternatively, the scholarship amount needed will be underwritten by a church, corporation or other third party donor via designated or restricted fund donations.

(Note: If donation is underwritten and intended for a specific individual it may not be tax-deductible for the donor; but the other foundation benefits such as administrative assistance and tuition discounts, if any, would be available. Please consult your tax advisor for specific details.)