In the news: Higher education in prison
February 6, 2026
State coalitions emerge as key infrastructure for higher education in prison
College Inside
On a Friday afternoon in late January, directors of prison education programs, state higher education officials, corrections administrators, and nonprofit leaders gathered in Denver to discuss a challenge facing colleges working in prisons across the country: How do you get everyone on the same page? This week, we look at the emergence of state coalitions for higher education in prison at a conference organized by the Colorado Coalition for Higher Education in prison.
January 28, 2026
Coming home to an ‘alien world’: Michigan nonprofit teaches how to live in a digital world after incarceration
Michigan Public | NPR
When people leave prison after decades inside, they’re not just re-entering society, they’re entering an unfamiliar, disorienting digital world. That sense of disorientation is exactly why Nation Outside is creating peer-led digital literacy courses designed specifically for people returning home after incarceration.
January 27, 2026
Grant given to MiCHEP will help educate prisoners in Michigan
WNEM
The Michigan College Access Network is using grant money to help prison education programs statewide. $750,000 from the Mellon Foundation will go to the Michigan Consortium for Higher Education in Prison (MiCHEP). The money will be used to hire an executive director for MiCHEP and start a sub-award program for the 14 colleges involved with MiCHEP. MiCHEP schools will be able to apply for resources to support their humanities programs.
January 27, 2026
ALA welcomes Prison Libraries Act
American Library Association
The American Library Association praised the Prison Libraries Act, introduced today by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO-5), along with co-leads Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH-11), and Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC-4). The bill would establish a grant program within the Department of Justice to provide library services to incarcerated individuals to advance reintegration efforts, reduce recidivism and increase educational opportunities.
January 12, 2026
RCU to offer prison education program at Thumb Correctional Facility
Rochester Christian University News
Rochester Christian University will begin offering a prison education program at the Thumb Correctional Facility in Lapeer, Michigan, in the spring 2026 semester, expanding access to higher education and advancing the university’s mission-driven commitment to societal good.
January 12, 2026
Michigan prison college programs get $750K grant to expand humanities education
Michigan Advance
A three-year $750,000 grant was awarded by the Mellon Foundation to support the continued development of the Michigan Consortium for Higher Education in Prison, helping to bring humanities-centered education modules to incarcerated individuals across the state.
December 30, 2025
EMU offers women a chance to earn bachelor’s degrees in prison
Bridge Detroit
Five years after the first man earned a bachelor’s degree while imprisoned in Michigan — and nearly 150 bachelor’s degrees earned since — women who are serving time are catching up. A group of Michigan female inmates earned bachelor’s degrees for the first time while incarcerated through Eastern Michigan University's prison education program.
November 26, 2025
From commercial truck driving to business degrees, Michigan offers prisoners an education
Spartan Newsroom
Three "vocational village" programs are highlighted, where students learn skilled trades in a specialized community setting. From truck driving, to robotics, to cosmetology, these trade programs help students thrive within and outside of prison.
November 24, 2025
From Pilot To Program, Educating Prisoners In Michigan
Michigan Information & Research Service Inc.
MDOC Director Heidi Washington, WMU Higher Education for the Justice Involved (HEJI) Director Dale Brown, HEJI Program Coordinator McGwire Hidden, and HEJI Student Success Coordinator Sacelia Strong-Sangster discuss the scale, scope, and impact of Prison Education Programs throughout the state.
November 23, 2025
Women are finding hope in this Eastern Michigan University prison program
MLive
Jacara Moore and Nicole Ortiz-Garcia discuss their time as students at the Eastern Michigan University College in Prison program, which offers inmates at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility the chance to pursue bachelor’s degrees and explore courses in over 15 fields, and the impact it's made on their lives.