Incarcerated Women Get Path to Bachelor's Degree

Adult learners at a Tennessee women's prison can now pursue a full bachelor's degree through a credited Rhodes College program.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Adult Education

Gouache-painted editorial illustration of an open book with pages fanning into a warm sunrise above a narrow window shape, evoking education reaching beyond confinement. — Rhodes College is expanding its credited prison education program to offer incarcerated women at a Tennessee facility a full bachelor's degree, backed by a $500,000 Mellon Foundation grant. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should college degree programs be offered inside every state prison?

Rhodes College is expanding its credited prison liberal arts program at the Women's Therapeutic Residential Center in Henning, Tennessee, with a $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to launch a full Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies at the facility this summer. The program began in fall 2016 as a Great Books discussion group and now serves incarcerated women across Tennessee's prison system.

Why it matters

For adult learners behind bars, the expansion moves prison education from short courses toward a complete four-year degree, which can shape later job and education options after release. The program's growth since 2016 reflects continued investment in higher education inside correctional facilities, and the Mellon grant is what allows the leap to a full bachelor's pathway.

The Mellon Foundation grant is $500,000 and funds a full Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies at the facility. As of spring 2025, 92 incarcerated women have earned 765 Rhodes credits and 32 have completed certificates, while participants are 43% less likely to return to prison.

The players

Rhodes College

A private liberal arts college in Memphis, Tennessee, that delivers this credited prison education program.

Mellon Foundation

A major private foundation that funds higher education and humanities initiatives, providing the $500,000 grant for the bachelor's program.

West Tennessee State Penitentiary

A Tennessee state prison where the program's expansion to the men's unit is planned.

The details

Rhodes College professors and students make a weekly drive to the Women's Therapeutic Residential Center in Henning to deliver credit-bearing courses. The program started in fall 2016 as a Great Books discussion group with about 25 women and has since developed into a credited liberal arts curriculum. The $500,000 Mellon Foundation grant will fund a complete bachelor's degree track at the facility, moving students from individual credit accumulation toward a full degree. Expanded programming is also planned for the men's unit at West Tennessee State Penitentiary.

Fall 2016: The program began as a Great Books discussion group with about 25 women.
Spring 2025: 92 incarcerated women had earned 765 Rhodes credits and 32 had completed certificates.
This summer: The Mellon-funded full Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies is slated to launch at the facility.
May: Jameshia Davis has a parole hearing and plans to pursue her degree afterward.

Education Landscape

Prison higher education has grown from small discussion groups into credit-bearing programs in Tennessee, and the 43% lower return-to-prison rate for participants is the main evidence driving continued investment. The move to a full bachelor's degree places this program among efforts that treat incarcerated adults as students on a degree path rather than only as participants in short enrichment courses.

Adult learners considering degree completion can see that some correctional facilities are adding full bachelor's pathways, not just individual courses. Anyone interested in enrolling through a prison-based program should ask the institution's admissions office how eligibility and enrollment work for the new track.

The takeaway

Prison education is moving toward complete degrees, and the 43% lower return-to-prison rate for participants helps explain why funders are backing that shift. Adult learners who want to know how credits transfer or how to apply should contact the admissions office of the relevant college directly.