Who we are

TPEI is a volunteer-run organization at the University of Texas at Austin offering credit-bearing college courses through UT-Extension to incarcerated youth and adults at no cost to students. Since 2018, approximately 200 incarcerated youths and students have enrolled in our pre-college, college, and enrichment courses, and 60 graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members volunteered with TPEI. We also work with local organizations including The Center for Students in Recovery, and the Travis County Re-Entry Roundtable to enable students to continue their education upon release.

Our mission

Our mission at the University of Texas-Austin is to provide credit-bearing, liberal arts education to incarcerated juveniles and adults at no cost. We strive to create educational opportunities, reduce inequalities in higher education, and change the lives of incarcerated Texans and their families. We believe that the liberal arts uniquely challenges students to understand themselves within history, society, and their community. By offering liberal arts college courses, we present incarcerated students with the tools to transform themselves into scholars, leaders, and change-makers.

Our history

Acknowledging the need for higher education access in area prisons, an assistant professor and two graduate students at UT Austin founded the Texas Prison Education Initiative in 2017. TPEI taught its inaugural course at Gardner Betts Juvenile facility in the fall of 2018. Since then, TPEI has expanded rapidly. We have had over 60 volunteers from across campus, including faculty members, post-docs, graduate students, and undergraduates. Our volunteer instructors have now taught more than 150 incarcerated students in multiple facilities in the Austin area.