For too long, prison has been viewed as the end of someone’s story. Across Michigan, 12 colleges and universities are proving something different: prison can be the place where a new chapter begins. Today, more than 1,300 incarcerated students are pursuing college degrees through Michigan’s higher education in prison programs. They are studying business, theology, social work, liberal arts, and other disciplines with the same academic expectations as students on any college c

Ascendium Education Group grant will strengthen statewide collaboration, student supports, and program capacity Lansing, Mich. – August 31, 2026 – The Michigan Consortium for Higher Education in Prison (MiCHEP) has received a $2.6 million investment from Ascendium Education Group to expand and strengthen higher education opportunities for incarcerated students across Michigan. The three-year grant will support MiCHEP’s growth from a coordinating consortium into a statewide su