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Prison Education Program

Pima Community College was approved by the U.S. Department of Education to participate in the experimental Second Chance Pell Grant program in June 2022. In August 2025, PCC became a Department of Education designated Prison Education Program (PEP).

The list of participating institutions is available here. 

Pima serves students in the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry facility located in Tucson, Arizona. Students participating in the program are screened through the Arizona Department of Corrections Education Department.

The first cohort began courses in the Basic Business Certificate online program during the Spring 2023 semester. A new cohort has started each year since the inaugural Second Chance Pell cohort in 2023. All courses are offered online through a secure Learning Management System.

Students in the program are eligible to receive federal student aid under the provision of the PEP which allows students to receive a Pell Grant to cover tuition, fees, books, supplies, course materials and equipment. Confined or incarcerated individuals are not eligible for student loans or campus-based program funding at PCC at this time. Under the PEP students are not eligible for a student account refund.

Information related to student aid eligibility and program requirements are provided in-person and through non-graded course shells within the secure Learning Management System, accessible through the incarcerated learner’s tablet. Learners can connect with the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships through the Learning Management System.

To learn more about the Prison Education Program approval process, please view this fact sheet. 

Resources

Questions about the Second Chance Pell Grant Program? Contact scholarships@pima.edu.

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