Piedmont Virginia Community College has received official approval from the U.S. Department of Education to operate as a recognized Prison Education Program Institution.
The final approval marks the completion of the transition from the Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative to full PEP status, as established under the FAFSA Simplification Act.
PVCC is the first college in Virginia to receive approval under the new federal regulations. Less than 100 colleges in the United States have secured approval.
“Our mission is to offer an exceptional higher education experience to every student committed to a better future through learning. This milestone represents a significant expansion of opportunity, access and success for all students,” PVCC President Jean Runyon said.
PVCC has been involved in prison education since 2006, first at Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women, then expanding to Buckingham Correctional Center and Dillwyn Correctional Center in 2017. PVCC served 148 incarcerated students in the 2023-2024 academic year across the three sites, and more than 150 students have earned an associate degree through PVCC while in prison.
The degree program consists of 63 credit hours of in-person instruction, allowing students to design a curriculum that meets their individual goals. Students earn a General Studies Associate of Science Degree accumulating transferable credits to bachelor’s degree programs at four-year institutions.
“I applaud Piedmont Virginia for being the first college in the Commonwealth to achieve this important recognition. As educators, we’re convinced that providing meaningful learning opportunities to incarcerated people benefits both the individuals and society by reducing recidivism, increasing post-release employment and creating a safer environment within correctional facilities,” Virginia Community Colleges Chancellor Dr. David Doré said.
According to Doré, Virginia community colleges began to serve the prison population in 1985 and 11 colleges, including Piedmont, have active programs for individuals in the state’s prison system.
“Almost 500 of these individuals earned degrees, certificates or workforce credentials just last year, greatly increasing their chances of success when they return to society,” Doré said.
The VCCS Strategic Plan, Accelerate Opportunity, sets a system-wide goal to increase enrollment of incarcerated students by 25 percent by 2030.
“While PVCC has been involved in higher education in prison for many years, full PEP approval ensures vital institutional continuity in a field that has historically been unpredictable. This approval also provides PVCC with the opportunity to support other Virginia community colleges and universities as they work towards implementing and improving their own higher education in prison programs. Incarcerated individuals are often forgotten and underestimated members of our communities and the process of obtaining official PEP approval is our way of saying PVCC has not forgotten you, we see your potential and we support you and your educational goals,” PVCC Higher Education in Prison Program Coordinator Julie Olive said.
PVCC previously received approval as a Second Chance Pell Experimental site, a program that paved the way for the reinstatement of overall Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students. After a nearly 30-year ban, eligibility for Pell Grants was reinstated for incarcerated students on July 1, 2023, through the FAFSA Simplification Act. However, the program is set to expire in 2027 and has operated under restricted budget constraints.
The 18-month rigorous process included approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the Virginia Department of Corrections and the U.S. Department of Education. Eligible students can immediately begin receiving Pell Grants to pay for tuition and related expenses.
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Rebecca Barnabi
