Our Mission
The mission of the Cornell Prison Education Program is to help incarcerated students achieve their highest academic potential.
After the nationwide dismantling of Pell-funded college programs in America’s prisons in the 1990s, Cornell faculty organized to offer college courses in the prisons near Cornell University in the early 2000s. Using private funds, Cornell partnered with two SUNY colleges to offer associate degree programs during the 2010s. After a 2020 federal law paved the way for restoring Pell grant access for incarcerated learners, Cornell began to refocus its efforts on launching the first ivy league bachelor’s degree program in prison.
Impact Over the Last 25 Years
- Over 1,000 students have taken classes with CPEP
- More than 500 students have reentered society armed with a degree or at least some college credits and a broader perspective and new tools to help them lead successful lives on the outside.
- More than 150 students take classes at CPEP each semester.
- CPEP has conveyed more over 200 degrees and has seen many of these students move on to more advanced degrees either in prison or once released.
- Each semester well over 30 volunteers dedicate more than 2,400 hours to our students.
- More than 20 classes and more than 10 extracurricular and tutoring sessions are held each semester.
- College in prison provides our students with far more than an opportunity to earn a degree while incarcerated. It provides a safe space for our students to be their best selves through learning, engagement and academic discourse.
Academic Reentry
With many current and former students returning home, CPEP has made reentry part of our core mission. Our activities focus on providing advisement around basic needs, mental health, transportation, and academic and professional support and coaching. We provide these services through a partnership with SUNY which provides our students greater access to local universities and services.
Bachelor of Professional Studies
Starting in the Fall of 2027, CPEP will launch the Bachelor of Professional Studies program at Cayuga Correctional Facility. This degree will be offered in partnership with Cornell University’s School of Continuing Education. Students with an associate’s degree will be eligible to apply into the program and if necessary, apply for a transfer to Cayuga Correctional Facility where they will major in Organization, Markets & Society, a broad course of study that will include areas of business, and social sciences. The program will take approximately three years to complete, and graduates will receive a Cornell University – School of Continuing Education degree.
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