Our Work
Reentry Campus Program (RCP) helps currently and formerly incarcerated individuals receive post-secondary education on their way to becoming self-sufficient and successful. Learn about becoming a student with us and apply.
The program helps those behind the walls, transitioning out and after release with their educational goals as well as offering critical wrap-around services, continuous support, encouragement, and resources specific to their individual needs.
Assessment and Advising
Whether students enroll behind the walls or after being released, RCP staff provide assistance and support with eliminating barriers to education access and achieving their educational or career goals.
From obtaining vital documents and previous transcripts to course enrollment and degree planning, our team supports each student's individual path.
Education
RCP provides up to 30 college credits, equivalent to a first year of school, free to enrolled students. Students enroll in DSST courses through RCP before attending the college of their choice.
This offers students the opportunity to fast track their degree attainment and minimize the cost associated with pursuing a 4-year degree or certification program.
The classroom environment is a peer learning community of successfully reintegrated students and mentors who provide continuous support, encouragement and resources specific to the student’s circumstances.
Credit by Exam: DSST and CLEP
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) gives college credit for what someone already knows, whether they learned it on a prison job, in a training program, or on their own. The usual route is an exam: pass it and the credit goes on your transcript.
RCP is a registered DSST testing center with 37 titles in business, humanities, social science, science, math and technology. In 2026 the College Board approved RCP as a CLEP testing center at four RIDOC facilities: High Security, Maximum Security, Medium Security and the Women's Facility. That adds 30 CLEP titles, for 67 exams in all. The first CLEP exams are being scheduled now.
From July 2025 to April 2026, RCP students passed 53% of their DSST attempts. RCP wrote 39 study guides of its own for these exams, and they are moving onto Ameelio Learn, the learning platform on RIDOC tablets, so students can study on their own schedule.
Certificates and College Credit
Through our partnership with Roger Williams University, students can work toward three certificates without leaving the facility: Criminal Justice, Case Management, and Business. Course materials are delivered on Ameelio tablets.
Students can also submit a credit for prior learning portfolio to RWU. RIDOC course certificates and records of prison jobs count. Culinary, OSHA, barbering, paralegal training, library work and tutoring have all been put forward. RCP staff help each student put the file together and send it in.
RCP has agreements with Roger Williams University, the Community College of Rhode Island, and College Unbound. Each accepts RCP exam and portfolio credit and works with us on transcripts and transfer. We help with financial aid forms and course registration before enrollment and throughout.
After Release and Mentoring
Coming home is where a lot of students lose the thread. Transcripts go missing, financial aid deadlines pass, and nobody is checking in.
RIDOC now routes students who are leaving custody to the RCP office line, so we pick up where we left off inside: transcripts, financial aid, enrollment.
RCP alumni who have made the same trip home serve as mentors, helping new students settle in, stay enrolled and find the resources they need.
Reentry Campus Program Pathway
RCP students learn that education is the pathway to true freedom. An acronym helps explain how the RCP methodology creates a future of opportunities to help students not only move forward but pay it forward as mentors.
F
FORGE YOUR FUTURE
Join RCP by applying today. The idea of going back to school can be intimidating, overwhelming or seem impossible. By joining RCP you are joining the many others that chose to believe in themselves and their future and are now here to offer their support as Mentors.
R
REFLECT AND REALIZE
We know that no story is the same. Our dedicated Pathway Specialists will work closely with you to reflect on your experiences, realize your strengths and interests, and build your plan for success so you can feel confident about the next steps.
E
EVALUATE AND EXHIBIT
RCP works to have your prior learning evaluated for college credit through a process called PLA (Prior Learning Assessment). We use a Portfolio as part of this process to exhibit your previous learning and work experience.
E
EDUCATE AND EXPAND
Enroll in our free classes to earn college credits. We offer a year's worth of free DSST courses and exams. This allows you to fast track degree attainment and minimize cost associated with pursuing a 4-year degree or certification program.
D
DREAM AND DECIDE
Now is the time to dream big. Our Pathway Specialists work with you to decide on your educational and employment goals. We provide the tools and resources needed in order for you to continue on your path.
O
ORGANIZE AND OPPORTUNITY
Continue on from RCP to higher education and find employment. Using the skills, course credit, and network that you’ve built at RCP, we will help you to organize your job search, your continued education, and everything in between. Prepare for opportunities ahead!
M
MOVE FORWARD AND MENTOR
Keep moving forward. Success can be financial, emotional, intellectual, familial, and so much more. Our mentors are individuals who have successfully reentered and are ready to share their experience and support others on their pathway to FREEDOM.