Scholarships for System-Impacted Students (Formerly Incarcerated): 13 Verified Opportunities
January
Title of Scholarship
St. Francis College Justice Initiative Scholarship
Why It Slaps:
This is one of the strongest college-based opportunities on the board for formerly incarcerated students because it is not just a one-time award. St. Francis says students accepted into the Justice Initiative receive scholarship support from the college, and the program also layers in mentoring, academic support, and a reentry-aware structure that can matter just as much as the money. For students in New York who want an actual pathway instead of a feel-good scholarship page, this one stands out because the support is built into the college experience itself.
Amount: Varies based on FAFSA and NYSTAP eligibility
Deadline: Spring semester deadline is January 2; fall semester deadline is August 15
Apply/info: St. Francis College Justice Initiative
April
Title of Scholarship
Florida Prison Education Project Scholarship at UCF
Why It Slaps:
This one is especially useful because it is blunt about who it is for: students who are formerly incarcerated, justice-impacted, or deeply engaged in criminal-justice work. The dollar amount is modest, but the page is current, the deadline is clear, and the criteria are easy to understand. That makes it a strong fit for students at UCF who need a real, open opportunity rather than a vague scholarship mention buried somewhere on a university site.
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: April 1 at 11:59 p.m.
Apply/info: Florida Prison Education Project Scholarship
Title of Scholarship
CORE Scholarship for Formerly Incarcerated and Justice Impacted Students
Why It Slaps:
Pasadena City College’s CORE Scholarship is one of the cleaner direct-fit awards I found because the scholarship title itself names formerly incarcerated and justice-impacted students. It also does not define impact narrowly, which is helpful for applicants whose experience includes probation, parole, or supporting a loved one through system involvement. For California community-college students, this is the kind of scholarship page that is actually usable right now.
Amount: Varies
Deadline: April 10, 2026
Apply/info: CORE Scholarship – Pasadena City College
July
Title of Scholarship
Darrin Lester Scholarship
Why It Slaps:
This is one of the rare scholarships I found that is both justice-impacted specific and geographically focused, which can improve a student’s odds if they fit the region. It supports students in West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania and is designed for people continuing or beginning undergraduate or graduate study after release. The big catch is that the currently posted public cycle is for 2025–2026, so this is a great page to watch rather than assume the next round is already live.
Amount: Three $3,000 scholarships in the latest posted cycle
Deadline: July 18 on the currently posted 2025–2026 cycle
Apply/info: Darrin Lester Scholarship
November
Title of Scholarship
The Perry “Second Chances” Scholarship
Why It Slaps:
This one fills an important niche because it is designed for women and girls impacted by incarceration, including formerly incarcerated applicants, and the awards have been meaningful. The official site says the 2026 cycle is closed, but it also clearly posts the next opening date, which is incredibly useful for planning content and telling readers when to get ready. It is a strong option for women pursuing college or vocational programs who want a mission-driven scholarship with real recent awards behind it.
Amount: The most recently posted winners received one-time $10,000 scholarships
Deadline: 2026 cycle closed; next round opens November 15, 2026
Apply/info: The Perry “Second Chances” Scholarship
Rolling, seasonal, or no single public hard deadline posted
Title of Scholarship
NAACP Empowering a Better Tomorrow Scholarship Powered by Walmart
Why It Slaps:
This is one of the clearest national-style scholarships on the list for people returning from incarceration. The NAACP page explicitly says it is intended for formerly incarcerated applicants or those recently convicted who have completed their sentence, and it includes straightforward eligibility language instead of forcing students to guess whether they qualify. It also works for students heading to public colleges, community colleges, and trade schools, which makes it broader than many campus-only opportunities.
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: Current application period is closed; the page says applications open in Spring 2026 and recipients are announced in Summer 2026
Apply/info: NAACP Empowering a Better Tomorrow Scholarship
Title of Scholarship
NYU Horizon Grant
Why It Slaps:
The NYU Horizon Grant is a real name-brand opportunity for formerly incarcerated students aiming at a selective undergraduate institution. The official NYU scholarship and admissions pages identify it as a grant for formerly incarcerated students admitted to undergraduate NYU degree programs, and NYU says up to two students can receive it each year. This is not a broad national scholarship, but for the right applicant it can be one of the highest-upside opportunities on the page.
Amount: Not publicly listed on the accessible public page
Deadline: Tied to NYU’s admissions and financial-aid process; no standalone public deadline was clearly posted on the accessible page
Apply/info: NYU Horizon Grant Application
Title of Scholarship
Educating for Change Scholarship
Why It Slaps:
This one is a very good fit for the broader system-impacted framing of your page, even though it is aimed at students with an incarcerated parent rather than formerly incarcerated applicants themselves. The Foundation for California Community Colleges says it supports California community-college students with a parent incarcerated in a CDCR prison, and the official scholarship page is specific about eligibility, uses of funds, and the per-semester award. Because the funding is first-come, first-served while available, this is the kind of opportunity readers should move on early.
Amount: $500 per student per semester
Deadline: No single universal student deadline is posted on the main scholarship page; funding is first-come, first-served while available
Apply/info: Educating for Change Scholarship
Title of Scholarship
Prison Education Foundation Scholarship
Why It Slaps:
This is one of the more serious education-pathway scholarships on the list because it is built around actual college enrollment and progression, not just a one-time public relations award. The foundation funds eligible incarcerated students and also lays out conditions under which recently released applicants may still qualify. It is especially worth watching for students who already have a prison-to-college plan, because the scholarship structure can expand as performance improves.
Amount: Varies; initial grants are usually limited and can increase over time based on academic performance
Deadline: No public hard deadline posted on the qualifications page
Apply/info: Prison Education Foundation Scholarship Qualifications
Title of Scholarship
Quintana Last Mile Scholarship
Why It Slaps:
This is one of the best verified opportunities I found for students who are trying to finish, not just start. Adler University describes it as support for students who are currently or formerly incarcerated, with priority for those who are within two semesters or the last year of coursework. That “last mile” focus makes it especially useful for readers who are close to graduating but stuck because of debt, fees, or one final stretch of tuition.
Amount: Up to $10,000
Deadline: Rolling; annual review points are in February and September
Apply/info: Quintana Last Mile Scholarship
Title of Scholarship
Mahin Bina Memorial Scholarship Program
Why It Slaps:
This one is small, but it is direct, clean, and clearly intended for returning citizens. The End Violence Project says the scholarship is for men or women formerly incarcerated in a U.S. state or federal correctional institution who are enrolled in a certificate or degree-granting program and can show leadership through service. Because the deadline is rolling, it is a practical scholarship to keep in a working spreadsheet all year instead of waiting for one narrow cycle.
Amount: $500
Deadline: Rolling
Apply/info: Mahin Bina Memorial Scholarship Program
Title of Scholarship
PREP Scholarship Fund at NYU Law
Why It Slaps:
For students thinking beyond undergrad, this is one of the strongest direct-fit law-school opportunities I found. NYU Law says the PREP Scholarship Fund supports students directly impacted by the criminal legal system through their own experience or that of a parent, and specifically aims to encourage formerly incarcerated individuals and applicants with formerly or currently incarcerated parents. It is also simpler than many law-school scholarships because there is no separate application once you apply to NYU Law.
Amount: Not publicly listed
Deadline: No separate scholarship deadline; tied to admission to NYU Law
Apply/info: PREP Scholarship Fund | NYU School of Law
Title of Scholarship
Post Carceral Degree Completion Scholarship
Why It Slaps:
This is one of the highest-dollar, most practical reentry-focused awards I verified. Marymount Manhattan says the scholarship can be used not just for tuition and fees, but also for major transition costs like transportation, housing, healthcare, and educational technology, which is exactly where many returning students get stuck. The catch is that it is tied to Marymount Manhattan’s prison education pipeline, so it is not broad-market, but for eligible students it is a major opportunity.
Amount: $50,000
Deadline: No public hard deadline posted on the public news page
Apply/info: Post Carceral Degree Completion Scholarship
Title of Scholarship
Kalief Browder Memorial Scholarship
Why It Slaps:
This scholarship is highly specific, but that specificity is what makes it meaningful. Bronx Community College says it was created to help formerly incarcerated BCC students transform their lives after incarceration, and it is awarded annually. If your audience includes students in New York community-college pipelines, this is exactly the kind of smaller institutional opportunity worth surfacing because it matches a real student profile.
Amount: Not publicly listed
Deadline: No public hard deadline posted on the page
Apply/info: Kalief Browder Memorial Scholarship
FAQs
Are there really 30 strong scholarships specifically for formerly incarcerated students?
Not on clean, currently verifiable public pages. The strongest publishable list right now is smaller, and many of the best opportunities are campus-based, reentry-program linked, or designed for broader system-impacted students rather than a huge national pool. That is why this page is tighter and more accurate instead of padded.
What does “system-impacted” mean on this page?
Here, it includes formerly incarcerated students, returning citizens, students on reentry paths, and in some cases students affected by a parent’s incarceration or other criminal-legal-system involvement. Different scholarships define impact differently, so readers should always check the eligibility language on the actual page before applying.
Should students still complete FAFSA?
Usually yes. Several programs on this list either require applicants to use available federal and state aid first or base institutional scholarship support on aid eligibility. That means FAFSA is not optional for many of the best-fit opportunities.
What should students do when a scholarship cycle is closed?
Keep the page saved, watch for reopening windows, and prep essays, transcripts, and recommendation letters before the next cycle starts. That matters even more for opportunities with seasonal openings or rolling reviews, like the Perry scholarship, the NAACP scholarship, and Quintana Last Mile.
Are there scholarships here for students impacted by a parent’s incarceration, not just their own record?
Yes. Educating for Change is built specifically for California community-college students with an incarcerated parent, and NYU Law’s PREP Scholarship Fund also includes students directly impacted by a parent’s incarceration.
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