Federal Pell Grants, which typically help low-income students pay for college, had been broadly unavailable to people in prison under a 1994 law. But since 2015, the Second Chance Pell pilot program has allowed incarcerated people to receive Pell Grants to fund their education at a limited number of colleges.
The widespread ban was repealed in 2020 legislation, and beginning July 1, the U.S. Department of Education will allow incarcerated students enrolled in eligible prison education programs to receive Pell Grants to cover up to the cost of attendance.
