Written by Sasha Blakeley
Financial Aid & Scholarships for Children of Incarcerated Parents
With over two million incarcerated individuals, the United States currently has the highest rate of incarceration out of any country in the world, with 629 out of every 100,000 people incarcerated, according to the World Population Review. As many of those people have children, a significant population of children and teenagers have at least one incarcerated parent. The Vera Institute of Justice has reported that more than five million children in the United States have at least one parent who is or was incarcerated. Those children and teenagers are in a unique position when it comes to post-secondary education.
When teenagers graduate from high school and get ready to attend college, those who have currently or formerly incarcerated parents may encounter difficulties securing sufficient funding to get a post-secondary education. To help those students succeed, there are numerous scholarships and other forms of financial aid that can provide money for tuition and living expenses while students pursue a college degree. Students will not be disqualified from accessing financial aid because of their parent's incarceration, though they may sometimes encounter barriers to funding access. Certain application procedures can make it easier for students with incarcerated parents to secure the funding they need to attain a degree.
Attending college is a major expense for students. According to the Education Data Initiative, the average undergraduate student enrolled in a four-year degree program will spend $35,551 each year on tuition, living expenses, and school supplies. In the 2022-2023 school year, tuition alone typically cost an average of $9,377 for an in-state public college, $18,244 per year at a for-profit private college, and $37,641 for a non-profit private college. Tuition costs also vary by state. Most students require some form of financial aid to be able to attend college; scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study programs are just some of the options that students can explore.
Requirements: Financial Aid for Students with Incarcerated Parents
The first step for many students when funding a college degree is federal financial aid. The US federal government has a number of programs that are specifically designed to support students in their pursuit of a college education. There are certain general requirements that students usually need to meet in order to qualify for and maintain their access to financial aid, including:
- Full-time enrollment at an accredited college or university
- Completion of high school or completion of the GED
- Maintenance of good academic standing, sometimes including minimum GPA requirements
These requirements apply to all students, not just applications for financial aid for students with incarcerated parents. The federal government can help students from all backgrounds get the funding they need to attend college. Students can fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to start this process. The FAFSA will match students up with funding opportunities that they are eligible for. These opportunities may include scholarships, grants, and federal student loans. In order to receive this aid, students will need to provide information about their personal history, family, and financial situation.
The FAFSA itself is not a source of funding; it is a program that will match students with funding that works for them. FAFSA sends students' information to the colleges they apply to so that those colleges can evaluate students' financial needs and distribute funding accordingly. The FAFSA deadline is usually in June but may vary. Because some states give out funding on a first-come-first-served basis, students should aim to complete their application as early as possible to get the maximum benefit.
FAFSA: Incarcerated Parent and Income
One of the challenges of the FAFSA for students who have an incarcerated parent is the financial income requirement. Students must provide their parents' income to complete their FAFSA. Incarcerated parents will need to provide their children with income tax returns and their social security numbers before the application can be sent off. This requirement holds true even if the incarcerated parent has little or no income. Students whose parents have a low income are often eligible for more financial aid than other students, as they are not able to rely on parental financial support to put them through college.
In some cases, it may be impossible to obtain the relevant financial information from an incarcerated parent. If the student's parent is unable to contribute to tuition and living expenses, regardless of income or personal finances, the student may be able to establish financial independence from their parent or parents. Students are usually declared financially independent at the age of 24 for the purposes of financial aid. Before that age, it is expected that parents will contribute financially to a student's college career if they are able to. If a parent is not able to contribute financially, their child may be permitted to provide documentation of independence that will allow them to access financial aid regardless of parental income.
Dependency overrides can be difficult to obtain. They are determined on a case-by-case basis, so there is no formula that will predict whether an individual student is eligible. In many cases, students will not be eligible for a dependency override unless both of their parents are incarcerated or if they meet other criteria, like having parents who cannot be located or coming from an abusive home environment. Financial aid administrators are the ones who can declare a student independent if the student meets the relevant criteria.
Scholarships for Students with Incarcerated Parent
Growing up and attending college while a parent is incarcerated can be challenging. Several organizations have started scholarships to assist families of incarcerated individuals. These scholarships are open to students who have or had at least one incarcerated parent. Some are also open to students who have overcome other kinds of adversity in their lives. Of course, having an incarcerated parent does not typically make students ineligible for scholarships. Students who want to find other financial resources for college are encouraged to pursue alternative scholarship options in addition to the ones listed here.
Nationwide Scholarships
Some scholarships are open to students across the country. Their requirements can vary, but they do not generally expect students to live in any particular state or region to be eligible to apply. Some of the best options specifically targeting students with incarcerated parents include the following:
| Organization | Scholarship | Eligibility Requirements | Financial Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hallam Law Group | Scholarship for Children of Incarcerated Parents | Open to high school juniors and seniors, and freshmen at a four-year college or community college. Trade school students are not eligible. Applicants must have at least one parent who either is or was previously incarcerated by the Department of Corrections. | $1,000 |
| Write A Prisoner: Children Impacted by Crime Scholarship Fund | Children of Inmates Scholarship | Applicants must be at least 18; younger applicants must have an adult fill out the application for them. Students must either have an incarcerated parent or have experienced the impact of a crime, either personally or in their immediate family. To maintain the scholarship, students will need at least a 2.5 GPA; those who have a lower GPA will need to provide documentation explaining why. | $250 and up |
| The Venus Morris Griffin Foundation | The Annual Venus Morris Griffin Scholarship Fund | Open to high school seniors who have been accepted into an accredited college or trade school. Applicants must have a biological parent who is currently incarcerated, but applicants with a foster or adoptive parent who is incarcerated can also apply if they meet all other requirements. | $10,000 |
Some scholarship amounts and requirements will change from year to year. All students should do their research to find the best options for their situation.
State-Specific Scholarships
Some scholarships are only open to students who live in a specific state or region. The following examples are just some of the options that are out there. Interested and eligible students who do not live in the states listed here should explore other options in their state of residence. Again, there are many scholarships that are open to students who have at least one incarcerated parent, even if the scholarship is not aimed directly at those students.
| Organization | Scholarship | Eligibility Requirements | Financial Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Give Back | The California Scholarship Program | Applicants must be California residents. All students who apply must have an estimated financial contribution (EFC) of zero dollars from their parents. They must also have and maintain at least a 2.5 GPA. Applicants can use this scholarship at Cal State San Bernardino, the University of La Verne, or Chapman University. | Amount varies |
| ScholarCHIPS | Children of Incarcerated Parents | Students must be residents of an eligible area in or around Washington, D.C. They must be graduating high school seniors who are intending to attend an accredited post-secondary institution of any kind on at least a half-time basis. All applicants must have been personally impacted by having an incarcerated parent or close family member who was their caregiver. Successful applicants must have a high school GPA of at least 2.0 to qualify. | Amount varies |
| Ava's Grace | Ava's Grace Scholarship | Applicants must reside in Missouri or eligible Illinois counties. They must be expecting to attend an accredited non-profit post-secondary institution for their first technical, associate, or bachelor's degree. At least one of the applicant's parents must have been incarcerated in a state or federal penitentiary. Using the FAFSA, applicants must demonstrate significant financial need. Applicants who have an EFC of more than $15,000 will need to prove other extenuating circumstances. They must have at least a 2.0 high school GPA. | $5,000 |
| Connecticut Children with Incarcerated Parents Initiative | CIP Scholarships | All applicants must be full-time undergraduate or graduate students at Central Connecticut State University to apply. They must be experiencing or have experienced the incarceration of a parent or other close family member. | Up to $1,500 per semester (up to 6 semesters) |
All of these scholarships for students with incarcerated parents can provide much-needed financial assistance during a student's college career.
Federal and State Financial Aid Programs
Scholarships are not the only option when it comes to funding a college degree. Students who are looking for funding opportunities should look into federal and state options for financial support. The federal government has many programs designed to help students pay for college. Most states also have financial aid programs specifically for their residents, as do most individual colleges. Federal financial aid can take the form of grants, which are similar to scholarships but are usually based on income; work-study programs, where the government subsidizes tuition for students who work on campus; and student loans. State financial aid will typically fall into these same categories. Colleges do not offer loans, but they do offer scholarships based on academic achievement and financial need.
Students can find out what they qualify for by filling out the FAFSA and researching state and college financial aid options. Those students who choose to take out loans should be aware that, unlike grants and scholarships, loans must be repaid with interest. Federal loans tend to have lower interest rates, though they may be less generous with the total amount they give out. They may also have more strict requirements about who is eligible. Private loans are often more generous and less strict in their application processes. However, they also tend to have higher interest rates, making them more predatory toward students who are not in a position to pay their loans down. Students who do choose to take out loans should exhaust all other options first and do their best to ensure that they have a robust repayment plan to get their loans paid off as soon as possible after graduation. Rates of student debt are high across the country.
Merit-Based Scholarships and CLEP Exams
Most of the scholarships available to students with incarcerated parents are primarily need-based, meaning that they focus on students' financial needs when distributing funds; they usually have relatively minimal academic requirements for applicants. However, there is another type of scholarship that can be helpful for students: the merit-based scholarship. Rather than focusing on finances, merit-based scholarships consider a student's achievements when determining who should get funds. They might look at students' grades, leadership experiences, volunteer and work experience, and involvement in extracurricular activities. Some scholarships require students to write personal essays or provide letters of recommendation as part of their applications. Students who excel in one or more areas should look into merit-based scholarship opportunities that they are eligible for.
Another way that all students can reduce the amount of money that they need to spend on a college degree is by taking CLEP exams or other prior learning assessments (PLAs). The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) offers exams that students can take if they want to be exempt from college courses. The exams usually cost around one hundred dollars, which is significantly cheaper than the cost of a college course. Students who pass CLEP exams can get credit for some college courses, which can make earning a college degree more affordable and faster. Around 2,900 colleges currently accept CLEP scores as a replacement for completing certain courses, such as in the subjects of math, science, hisotry, and English language arts. Students who want to study effectively for CLEP exams may benefit from online tutoring.
Resources for Finding Help with Financial Aid Applications
There are a lot of different ways that students can get help with financial aid applications when preparing to attend college. Online research is a great way to find scholarships and learn about the kinds of financial aid that different states and colleges offer. Completing the FAFSA is one of the best ways to be matched with many funding opportunities at once. Students who know which college they would like to attend, or students who are already attending a college and need help accessing financial aid, should speak to their college's financial aid counselors or student services experts. These professionals can help point students in the right direction so that they can find the resources that they need.
Students who are still in high school should speak to their school counselor about their funding options for college. School counselors can help students fill out FAFSA, scholarship, and loan applications so that they have the best chance of success. Students at any age can benefit from speaking with a mentor who is able to guide them through the application process. Applying for colleges and securing appropriate funding can be challenging and overwhelming for all students. Fortunately, many resources are available to help make the transition smoother for all students, regardless of their personal background, finances, or family situation.