Five Minnesota State Colleges, Universities Invited to Participate in Second Chance Pell Experiment

ST. PAUL, Minn., April 27, 2022 – Five colleges and universities in Minnesota have been invited to participate in an expansion of the Second Chance Pell Experiment announced by the U.S. Department of Education, and they’re all members of Minnesota State: Dakota County Technical College, Metropolitan State University, Minneapolis College, Minnesota State University, Mankato, and North Hennepin Community College. These five Minnesota State colleges and universities join four other colleges that were previously invited to participate as experimental sites: Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College, Inver Hills Community College, Pine Technical & Community College, and South Central College.

The Second Chance Pell Experiment, first established in 2015, provides Pell Grants to incarcerated individuals to allow access to postsecondary education programs.

“I am proud that Minnesota State’s commitment to affordable and accessible higher education has been recognized, as this program is in keeping with our core value of providing opportunities for all Minnesotans to create a better future for themselves, for their families, and for their communities,” said Devinder Malhotra, chancellor of Minnesota State. “Providing an education to incarcerated individuals will benefit all Minnesotans by reducing recidivism rates, increasing employment rates, and providing a pathway for justice-involved individuals to contribute to society.”

This expansion of the Second Chance Pell Experiment program includes a total of 73 sites so that up to 200 programs will be able to participate. The expansion will allow opportunities to study the best practices for implementing the reinstatement of Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students and allow for a wider variety of postsecondary programs that serve a more diverse population. When fully implemented, legislative changes will allow eligible students in college-in-prison programs access to Federal Pell Grants beginning on July 1, 2023.

###

Minnesota State includes 30 community and technical colleges and seven state universities serving approximately 340,000 students. It is the third-largest system of two-year colleges and four-year universities in the United States.