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�鶹�� (�鶹��) has been approved to expand access to college in prisons through the �鶹�� Prison Education Program (EPEP) at (Stafford Creek). Program expansion is made possible thanks to the U.S. Department of Education’s approval of �鶹��’s application for federal financial aid received in May. Students at Stafford Creek are now eligible to apply for aid to support enrollment in EPEP’s BA degree pathway. The College will admit a new cohort of up to 25 incarcerated students in the Fall quarter of 2025. 

With approvals from the , the Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities, and �鶹��’s Board of Trustees, EPEP began offering bachelor’s degree courses to students at Stafford Creek, in the Winter quarter of 2024. Courses continued with a single cohort of dedicated students throughout the 2024-2025 academic year. Stafford Creek staff and leadership have been supportive partners throughout the development of �鶹��’s new degree program. Building on excellent education services delivered by community college partners, EPEP supports students completing the final two years of their four-year BA degree.

EPEP “clears away obstacles to learning” by making �鶹��’s interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree available to incarcerated scholars. The theme-based, inquiry-driven, cohort model of experiential learning is anchored in a rigorous and responsive curriculum. Education is a widely recognized strategy that can help people improve their lives while benefiting communities. Expanding access to education in prison is also one of the most effective ways to reduce recidivism. In their cost-benefit analysis, the Washington State Institute for Public Policy has determined that for every $1 invested in college behind bars, the public stands to accrue $19.74 in benefits. In their resolution approving the establishment of EPEP, �鶹��’s Board of Trustees declared “college behind bars is the best documented, most ethical, and highest value systemic preventer of recidivism because we educate to liberate, not to ‘de-recidivate.’"

This milestone reflects �鶹��’s ongoing commitment to inclusive education. Noah Coburn, Provost and Vice President for Academics, emphasized the significance of the expansion and the collaborative spirit that EPEP embodies, saying, “This expansion is a wonderful recognition of �鶹��'s transformative model of teaching and learning. At �鶹�� we have long insisted that we must be expansive when we ask not only what should a college education be, but who should it be for. We are deeply grateful for this collaboration between �鶹�� faculty and staff, and the Department of Corrections, and particularly to the incarcerated students who are willing to challenge themselves with this opportunity.” 

�鶹�� staff and faculty have decades of experience supporting education and providing holistic support services for currently incarcerated and legally liberated people. In 2023, �鶹�� organizations formed the �鶹�� Liberation Education Network. Members include EPEP, Gateways for Incarcerated Youth, , and Liberation Scholars. Through the Network, these organizations exchange ideas, share resources, and collaborate to improve education and reentry services. 

�鶹�� Marketing & Communications Office Contact: 
mediarelations@evergreen.edu 

�鶹�� Prison Education Program Contacts: 

Eirik Steinhoff, Program Co-Director 
steinhoff@evergreen.edu 

Kelli Bush, Program Co-Director 
bushk@evergreen.edu