— Nathan Stephens · FICGN Narrative Fellows
Those were the words of the college's admissions representative as we were about to conclude the meeting. I sensed that what he said wasn't necessarily what he meant. Passively, I responded, "'kay" — knowing that I was not okay with his condescending tone, the one that flared with arrogance.
At that moment I became determined to show him, to make him eat the words he uttered as well as the ones he abstained from saying. At the end of that first semester, I had a 4.0 GPA. That accomplishment felt as if I had metaphorically delivered a powerful counter punch to his misjudgment of me. I was determined to show him he was wrong, and I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a 3.72 GPA.
Every year I'm reminded how college admissions representatives review applications and try to identify students who will be a success at their institution. I want to challenge the fear-based hesitancy of college admissions for formerly incarcerated people. More likely than not, if a person chooses to pursue a college degree post-incarceration, they have already anticipated how the degree would enhance their lives. During this 2026 Fair Chance Month, I want to see students, faculty, staff, and alumni challenge their admissions departments to give formerly incarcerated people a fair chance at getting an education.
College admissions representatives have the opportunity to set formerly incarcerated students up for success and to tap into the inverse correlation that exists between educational attainment and criminal activity. The more educated a person becomes, the less likely they are to break the law. A 2024 study by Webb et al. showed that formerly incarcerated people with college degrees were 7% more successful in their lives after incarceration. Admitting these students on the basis of their academic merit promotes robust classroom discussions.
Our society will eventually realize that investing in people to meet their needs is what makes society safer. Research shows that formerly incarcerated students are typically fully aware of the cost-benefit analysis regarding college education. Rather than college admissions representatives reinforcing perpetual punishment, the opportunity exists to help those who have demonstrated a desire to not only change their narrative but to change their lives.
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The reality is that too often prisons only line the pockets of a select group of people through capitalistic means. These systems benefit the commissary or visiting room vending machine suppliers, the corporations that supply the phones incarcerated people are allowed to use, and in many states, the corporations or groups that use prison labor to produce goods or provide services for minimal cost. While the prison industrial complex exploits opportunities and plays on the fears of the general public, the residual effect of carceral systems extends well beyond the prison gates to create collateral consequences — a perpetual punishment.
Over 600,000 people are released from America's prisons annually with the opportunity to build their lives back better. But rebuilding their lives often requires them to exert herculean efforts to overcome being denied employment, housing access, college classes, or even the opportunity to volunteer at their children's school. Admissions committees are uniquely positioned to be a part of formerly incarcerated students' teams — to help promote their changed lives.
Research has consistently indicated that obtaining a college education substantially increases the chances that a formerly incarcerated person will boost their employment opportunities and earnings potential. However, being granted the ability to access higher education and the benefits afforded to college graduates is required for these additional opportunities to manifest. In 2019, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) opined that if the option to remove criminal background questions on college applications was on the table, higher education institutions should consider doing so.
In the past, America has been known as the "land of opportunity," a place where a person just has to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps." But the reality is that when it comes to formerly incarcerated students, those opportunities must be reinforced by institutional agents who are willing to give them a chance. In hindsight, I may not have liked what the admissions rep said to me, but his words ignited within me a fierce desire to prove him wrong.
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What formerly incarcerated people need is a fair chance. A chance to flourish, bloom, and benefit from the lessons learned along life's journey — without carrying the additional weight of past misgivings. College admissions representatives, college administrators, elected officials, students, alumni, and the general public are being asked to stop their biased and discriminatory acts against formerly incarcerated people, and to allow them to move forward without the fear of perpetual punishment. Admit them to your campuses. Fill housing and employment vacancies based on their ability to meet fair and mutually beneficial requirements.
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One national moment.
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