Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of formerly incarcerated students obtaining an education in the California State University setting. A qualitative content analysis was made for data collected from in-depth interviews to describe formerly incarcerated students’ experiences in the college setting, barriers they have encountered on their path to a higher education, and ways they have addressed those barriers. The students were recruited via a reentry services program on campus specifically for formerly incarcerated students. Interview questions addressed accessing finical aid, support systems, and barriers to obtaining licensure. Some of the common themes identified as barriers to the participants were having to change majors due to licensure barriers, questions on financial aid applications that are intrusive, housing issues, employment barriers, childcare issues, and the stigma that comes with being a formerly incarcerated student. This study also examined the strategies these participants used to overcome those barriers: embracing the challenge of the California State University experience; utilizing the support of the institution, their families, and their peers; and the personal resilience each participant displayed in the college experience. Some implications for social work are the need to expand support service programs for formerly incarcerated students, to advocate for equitable policies in obtaining licensure, to remove barriers that the formerly incarcerated students face, and to call for more academic programs inside of prisons at state and federal levels. Recommendations for future research include comparison of the success of formerly incarcerated students who have access to support services to that of those who do not have such services; comparison of the success for those who obtained an education while incarcerated compared to those who went through junior college; and the effects the pandemic had on the formerly incarcerated students.