Rise Program

The heart of RVCC’s Returning & Incarcerated Student Education (RISE) program lies in what community colleges do best: molding students with raw, often underappreciated talent into curious scholars who are capable of future academic success. This is particularly true in the RISE program, where the vast majority of students are admitted with General Educational Development (GEDs) backgrounds, rather than high school diplomas. The RISE Department works diligently with the academic departments to prepare its students for rigorous college work.

To date, the College has graduated more than 450 students – both men and women, some while incarcerated and others upon release. On average, RISE serves 400-450 students each semester, with courses taught by a blend of faculty, both from RVCC’s home campus and from other colleges such as Princeton University, Rowan University, the University of Pennsylvania, and a variety of community colleges and universities throughout the region. Significantly, we’ve seen students successfully transfer to baccalaureate programs and succeed. GPAs for our inside students exceed standard results, with the average GPA in the program exceeding 3.0.

RVCC’s RISE program is considered to be one of the most successful prison-education efforts in the United States. By taking a “micro-college” approach to our operations, we have been able to ensure that our incarcerated students, as much as possible, enjoy a similar experience to students taking classes on campus. Credentialing of teachers is the same. Admissions are open to anyone with a high school degree or a high school equivalency. The teaching is the same. The learning outcomes are the same. The availability of student support services is the same. Assessments are the same. By focusing on the core functions of a college and staffing the RISE group appropriately, the RISE program has demonstrated it can sustain compliance with relevant standards for accreditation, including requirements of affiliation, policies, and procedures and applicable federal regulatory requirements going forward.