Higher Education in Prison Program

WNC's Higher Education in Prison Program (HEPP) is committed to providing equitable access to higher education, workforce education, and continuing education for incarcerated people at Nevada Department of Corrections facilities in our region. Through degree, certificate, and workforce training opportunities, HEPP helps students persist in their educational programs and complete credentials that foster academic achievement, workforce skills, personal development, and positive institutional engagement. The program serves students regardless of age, sentence length, or conviction, recognizing that education has intrinsic value and creates opportunities for meaningful contribution within correctional institutions while also preparing those who will return to their communities for employment, continued education, and successful reentry. WNC’s HEPP mirrors the vision, values, and mission of the college. As of Fall 2026, WNC serves approximately 90 students at Northern Nevada Correctional Center (NNCC) and Stewart Conservation Camp (SCC).

Deb Conrad, the program director, is serving as an Advisory Board Member through mid-2028 for a study on financing of higher education in prison programs which is funded by Ascendium Education Group. Research will be focused on the various methods being utilized across the country to create sustainable and appropriately funded programs. 

Programs and Sites Served

WNC offers the following Degrees, Certificates of Achievement, and Skills Certificates:

All programs offered are equal in rigor and staffing to any other program the college offers. All programs can be completed while the students are still incarcerated. Students can also continue their education with us or the other NSHE institutions after their release.

Partnerships

WNC would not be able to offer these courses without the dedicated support of Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) administration at all levels, including those working on the ground at each correctional center. Staff at  NNCC and SCC have gone above and beyond to ensure our instructors have access to classrooms and administrators have the ability to meet with students for advising, enrollment, and graduation ceremonies.

WNC and Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) are partnering to develop a seamless transition for students taking classes with WNC on the inside to working with TMCC reentry staff as students near their release date. TMCC helps formerly incarcerated students connect to organizations and services they need, to information about continuing their education, and to potential employers. Education on the inside and reintegration on the outside go hand-in-hand.

Funding

  • State: WNC received state funding starting in FY20 to support the expansion of the HEPP. (Student eligibility based on parole or expiration date)
  • Private Donors and Correctional Center Fundraisers: The WNC Foundation manages the funds from private donors and fundraisers that help support the program. (Student eligibility is open, funds are limited)
  • Self-Pay/Family Pay: WNC accepts self-pay/family-pay to allow students to take additional classes, or to allow students who have not qualified for other funds to take classes
  • Pell Grants: The US Department of Education approved Western Nevada College's Prison Education Program in April 2025 to offer Pell Grants to eligible incarcerated students.  

History

HEPP was reinstated at WSCC in the 2015-2016 academic year with a small cohort of incarcerated veterans who were supported by funds from a private donor and fundraisers organized by students inside. The program had been dormant since 2008 due to the Great Recession and the elimination of Pell grant eligibility for incarcerated people. By the spring of 2018, HEPP was reinstated at NNCC as well with a small cohort of students pursuing an Associate of Applied Science in Welding. In the spring of 2023 WNC brought the Manufacturing Technician Skills Certificate pathway to Stewart Conservation Camp. The first group of students to pursue the Automotive Mechanics Certificate of Achievement while incarcerated began in the fall of 2023.

In the News

 

Links

ELM 110ELM 131 ELM 198

Cedar Building, Room 302a

2201 West College Parkway, Carson City, NV 89703

Make a donation today and help transform lives through education. 

Your donation to WNC's HEPP will help provide scholarships to incarcerated students who otherwise might not be able to participate in our program. The benefits for those who participate include reduced likelihood of recidivism and increased earning potential. Other benefits include helping to break the generational cycle of poverty and incarceration and providing students, many who never dreamed of going to college, with opportunities to build confidence as life-long learners who contribute positively to their communities. 

 

Higher Education in Prison Program

Contact Prison Education & Apprenticeship Program Director Deb Conrad, office phone: 775-445-3302 and mobile: 775-990-5067

Contact Via Email