Database COVID-19: Education Bill Tracking Database

More than half of formerly incarcerated individuals hold only a high school diploma or GED and formerly incarcerated individuals are eight times less likely to complete college than the general public.

Although many of the challenges around postsecondary enrollment persist for currently or formerly incarcerated students, interest in enrollment among these groups has remained robust.

Challenges related to higher education affordability have been broadly publicized for the past several decades. According to data from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, the average price of tuition, fees, and room and board for undergraduate degrees increased 169% between 1980 and 2020. In just the past decade, student loan debt increased by nearly 80%.