Ivy Tech Madison was selected by the IDOC to offer adult education and vocational services at Indiana’s 15 adult correctional facilities across the state.

INDIANAPOLIS – Ivy Tech Community College today announced the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) has approved two of its programs for federal Pell Grants for prison education. If approved by the U.S. Department of Education and Ivy Tech’s accrediting agencies, people incarcerated in Indiana state prisons will have the opportunity to access need-based financial aid for high-quality education and training aligned to Indiana’s high-wage, high-demand workforce sectors, such as business, manufacturing, logistics and automotive.

Ivy Tech will collaborate with IDOC to ensure graduates are placed in employment with felony-friendly employers seeking skilled workers. Graduates of short-term certificate programs will have the opportunity to further their education at any one of Ivy Tech’s 19 campuses and 41 sites statewide.

For the first time in nearly 30 years, students enrolled in approved prison education programs (PEPs) are now eligible for federal Pell Grants under the FAFSA Simplification Act. Indiana is one of the first states to participate in the expansion of Pell Grants for incarcerated individuals.