More than a credential. A way back.

UPWARD is Southeast Community College's Prison Education Program, a partnership with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. UPWARD stands for Unlocking Potential With Academic Resources and Development. Since launching in January 2024, we've served more than 900 students across five facilities. We believe the people Nebraska incarcerates are more than their worst moment, and the work we do every day is built on that belief.

Programs     About

upward graduation

 

 

900+

Students enrolled since launch

165

Credentials awarded in the first 18 months

92

UPWARD students named to the SCC Dean's List in Fall 2025 alone

5

Correctional facilities across southeast Nebraska

 

 
 

Why this works

Roughly 2,000 people leave Nebraska prisons every year. What happens next, whether they find work, reconnect with family, and stay out, is shaped in large part by what happened inside. UPWARD exists because education is the single most reliable lever Nebraska has to reduce re-incarceration, build a stronger workforce, and return capable, credentialed people to the communities that need them.

Education in prison is not charity. It is one of the most concrete, measurable investments the state can make: in safer neighborhoods, in working families, and in a labor market that has more open jobs than people to fill them.

See the case for UPWARD

 

Information for community leaders & policymakers

See how UPWARD strengthens Nebraska's workforce and lowers re-offense rates.

Impact

 

Information for donors & supporters

Help us reach the students still on the waitlist.

Support UPWARD

Information for families of incarcerated Nebraskans

Learn how your loved one can take the next step.

For Families