EMU offers women a chance to earn bachelor’s degrees in prison

A group of Michigan female inmates earned bachelor’s degrees for the first time while incarcerated
Eastern Michigan University designed the first bachelor’s degree program
About 6% of those incarcerated in Michigan are women

Five years after the first man earned a bachelor’s degree while imprisoned in Michigan — and nearly 150 bachelor’s degrees earned since — women who are serving time are catching up.

This fall, a dozen incarcerated women received bachelor’s degrees from Eastern Michigan University at a ceremony at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility, the state’s only prison for women. They were the first cohort of women at the prison to receive their bachelor’s degrees while incarcerated.

EMU is the first public higher education institution to establish a bachelor’s program for incarcerated women in the state.

Education is among several efforts the Michigan Department of Corrections has undertaken to help reduce the recidivism rate – which the state reported in 2025 was 21%, the lowest on state record.

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In a video posted online by EMU, graduates dressed in caps and gowns talked about what earning their bachelor’s degree meant to them, saying that it “started to make myself proud, and find my self worth” and college is “the roadmap to your future.”

“We congratulate the WHV graduates of Eastern Michigan University who have had the honor of being the first women to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Michigan while incarcerated,” said Michigan Department of Corrections Director Heidi Washington.

“We know that education is the key to unlocking reentry success, helping them to obtain good-paying jobs and opportunities for future success. The department will continue to support all our students and those who want to take the next step in their educational journey.”

MDOC’s first college program was offered in 2013 in partnership with Jackson College at the Parnall Correctional Facility in Jackson and the Macomb Correctional Facility in Lenox Township, according to MDOC spokeswoman Jenni Riehle.

Associate degrees were initially offered. Then, in 2020, Calvin College granted the first bachelor’s degrees to male inmates at the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia.

A dozen higher education institutions now offer opportunities to earn college degrees, leading to inmates earning 736 associate degrees and 154 bachelor’s degrees.

The 12 female inmates who received bachelor of general studies degrees from EMU in September, each graduated with a 3.93 grade point average.

The WHV graduation was among 10 graduations held in MDOC facilities in 2025.

But the WHV ceremony was the largest, with 70 women. They earned bachelor’s degrees from EMU and associate degrees from Jackson College, which began offering WHV inmates associate degree opportunities in 2016.

Two groups of women in graduation caps and gowns in an auditorium as audience members applaud. Green outfits in the foreground; reddish in the middle. — The first group of women who earned bachelor’s degrees from Eastern Michigan University while incarcerated at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility joined dozens of other women who earned associate degrees from Jackson College. (Courtesy of Michigan Department of Corrections)

The total Michigan prisoner population is 32,365, of which 1,798 are women, Riehle said.

Though only 6% of those incarcerated in Michigan are women, it’s important to serve them, said Meghan Lechner, director of EMU’s College in Prison & Returning Citizens Fellowship.

“Women already face barriers when it comes to employment, be it lower wages, discriminatory parental leave policies, etc, add a felony to that and it makes finding quality employment even more challenging,” said Lechner. “By helping women complete a bachelor’s degree, we can help them eliminate the barrier of minimum education requirements in hiring but also help them gain the valuable skills and tools needed to enter the workforce after their time away.”

Graduates in line shaking hands — Michigan Department of Corrections Director Heidi Washington shakes hands with a Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility inmate and Jackson College graduate who earned an associate degree. (Courtesy of Michigan Department of Corrections)

EMU’s bachelor program at WHV was launched in 2023 after faculty had taught female inmates at the Pittsfield Township prison since 2008.

There are currently 75 other women at WHV enrolled in EMU’s bachelor’s program, who pay for classes with Pell grants, Lechner said.

Meanwhile, more than 1,300 inmates have enrolled in higher education opportunities over the past decade, Riehle said, while more than 2,000 have expressed interest and identified as potential candidates.

“The department is continuously working to expand higher educational opportunities for incarcerated students, as well as provide diverse degree options,” Riehle said. “We have actively engaged with colleges and universities to create more of these partnerships. The department has seen over 1,300 students enrolled in college-level courses over the past decade, with over 250 graduates in 2025 alone.”

Besides postsecondary programs, MDOC also offers skilled trades programs and an opportunity to earn a high school diploma or equivalent.