Incarcerated Students

An incarcerated student is a student serving a criminal sentence in a penitentiary, prison, jail, reformatory, work farm, or similar correctional institution, whether it is operated by a government agency or by a contractor to a government entity. Students are not considered to be incarcerated if they are in a halfway house, home detention, or sentenced to serve only on weekends.

A student is required to disclose his/her incarceration at the time they receive notice of acceptance into college or if they become incarcerated while enrolled in college. The disclosure should be made in writing, via letter or email, to the Financial Aid office and should include the following information:

• student's name and ID number;
• name of the institution in which the student is incarcerated;
• date incarceration began; and
• expected release date.

Incarcerated students are not eligible to receive Federal Direct Stafford Loans. While Section 484(t) of the HEA, as amended by the Act, establishes Pell Grant eligibility for confined or incarcerated students if they are enrolled in a prison education program as of July 1, 2023, GTCC currently does not participate in an approved prison education program.

The cost of attendance (COA) for incarcerated students can only include tuition and fees, books, course materials, supplies, and the cost of a first professional certification.

To maintain eligibility to participate in Federal Title IV programs, incarcerated students may not make up more than 25% of all admitted or enrolled students.