Can A Sex Offender Go To College?
Yes, a sex offender can go to college!
Here is what a sex offender needs to do.
First since you likely have been in prison for past a year you are without income for the previous year. A Pell grant is awarded for those with low income in almost every single case. They are easy to get for most people. Let us give you a few quick steps to help you enroll in college.
Step 1:
Stop thinking about what you are going to college for and start thinking about how you are going to do it. Quit putting road blocks up and just accept the fact that you are unable to make up your mind at that point. What’s more important is that you get into college in the first place.
Step 2:
Decide where you want to go and figure out how much it will cost you. A few phone calls to colleges you are interested will help. Remember its better to go to a physical college then a strictly online school. You will meet people there who can be good friends. Just don’t get to friendly because you are a sex offender and you want to keep that on the “down low”.
Things you need to ask the college are…
- What financial options do I have? Can you set me up with an appointment with finical aid and a consoler?
- Can you mail me a book of your classes and prices?
- Do you have online classes?
- When do I need to enroll for classes?
These things are just some questions that should be asked. However make your own list to suit your needs. If the people get a little snippy with you just explain you are a new student and you are scared and just really want to make something of your life. They will usually change their tone and become more helpful. they will then tell you that you need to take a placement test to help you figure out your first set of classes. They need to know where to place you before you can even register for classes.
Step 3:
Since by now hopefully you have met with financial aid. They were able to give you the steps you need to take to get your Pell grant and student loans if you need them. Do everything they say. If you can’t figure it out then have someone help you. Do not give up. That is the worst thing you can do. Never give up on yourself. Also to get the max amount of loans you need to be a full time student. If you are not working then this is a great option.
Step 4:
Go in and pay for your classes. They will have your Pell Grant and student loans on file. Its as simple as meeting with the advisor. Followed by a short walk to where you register for classes. You will most likely see a long lineup of students. Its normal and you may need to wait a little while. If you need to have them transfer money to the college book store to get your books do so at this time. Not all colleges work this way. However most do.
Step 5:
Go to the book store and buy your books. They will be expensive but your loans and Pell Grant should pay for them. Most books are between $50 and $200. However there are cheaper options if you just talk to the people at the book store. They may tell you to just buy them off eBay or something.
Step 6:
Find where you classes are and then go home and wait for your first day of school. College is great, We hope you enjoy it.
If this article has helped you out in anyway please share this on your social media accounts or email it to other sex offenders that you may know. Together we can put an end to sex offender unemployment.
I’m a sex offender here in nebraska and a college student. At my college i have to notify the dean of students each semester and the local law enforcment. So its posible as long as you notify the college.
Tears of hope.my man was false aquized.I too.we came together over this scandalous war on good people.
N I never gave up.
My son is bronze Zen William Robson n I feel festooned for the Olympics alaska 2026.n he loves my man.this gives us hope.thank u god
My son is a registered citizen. He is currently enrolled in an online college course and is doing very well. A lot of registrants don’t necessarily have transportation to go to a “physical” college. Online schools offer community style interaction and have some very good instructors. For people like my son , (who also has Aspergers) this has been a God send. So if a registrant is considering college courses , don’t just write off the online schools.
Sounds great…wish I could talk to you about it!
College is easy to get into. I could not find a job so I went to college, while on parole and after.
I did not have to tell my prof but I told everyone of them and they all helped me. One found me a car, another gave me a paddle board even many of the students helped me out.
The best thing is there are so many students we can help both young and old. To many younger students I was like an older brother or a father figure. Some even thought I was a professor. Lol
One student had a cop for a father and this kid was huge. His did use to beat him so he became a bully too. In college he was trying to change. I told him about me and my dad who beat me. We became close because of art (I’m an art major). I would check him if he justified violence and he would thank me. He quit college but now he’s a welder. He doing great and he moved out of his parents home. He talks with his dad still. I told him his dad loves him, but he’s just not good at it. I had another talk with a young girl in my history class. Parent problems. Strict parents but I gave the same advice. There are many elderly students so the always asked me to do heavy lifting for them. They always bought me coffee or gave me money. They know how hard it is for us. I tried to refuse the money but they would get mad at me.lol
Not only did I find great people but I helped many people both young and old.
It made me feel good about myself.
One thing tho, my profs said I was too open sometimes. They worried about me. I’m still that way. My friends have forgiven me for my past but I guess I haven’t.
Go to school if you can’t find a job. Its all good. At least it was for me.
Leo
Did he have to register for attending the college online being out of state or does attending require a person to really go to the college to affect his registration?
According to the official government website for Pell Grants, a sex offender is not eligible to receive federal funding. Does anyone know of any financial aid available?
I’m a sex offender and received full pell and tap for college, as soon as I told the college I was thrown out just as fast
I have received a Pell grant & I am a sex offender.So yes you can get a Pell grant as well as stafford loans.My problem is now that I have them my school is asking for a criminal background check & doesn’t kno I have to register. Keepin my fingers crossed its an online corse so I dnt see the real problem. Well of course besides just plain discrimination.
I don’t like how the beginning starts by saying since you’ve probably been in prison for over a year…not all sex offenders have served time and a lot of people are innocent and it’s the “victim” who lied about their age. I myself live in a small town and a lot of people are judgemental and ignorant and also unaware of the different charges . I felt offended but maybe no one pays attention to the beginning. And all states have different law’s for registering. My personal advice from dealing with this for almost 10 yrs is CALL THE STATE POLICE ALWAYS. They will tell you exactly what to do….
I recently was told by a councilor that runs my sex offender class that if I get permission from the dean and/or head of security of the college I could be on campus as long as I follow the college’s ultimatums which were few and easy. I also asked my parole officer if I could go to their law library and he said yes if security says yes. After I got permission from the head of security I went to a local university and my parole officer said he was about to violate me and will if I don’t immediately leave the campus and I will have to get a court order to be on any school property even though the state laws say differently. I talked to some lawyers and they agreed with the parole officer. So, I guess it is up to your parole officer and if you have a jerk as one like me then you are screwed.
How are you supposed to be able to do college classes if you’re not allowed to use the internet? The majority of college classes require internet access nowadays just to turn in their homework assignments, and sometimes to take quizzes/tests.
My guy would love to go to college when he is out, but will likely be prohibited from using the Internet, even though hs crime wasn’t related.
I, too, am a sex offender, though the label lends itself to a description that is not relevant to who I am today. The difficulty is that no one but me can really know this to be true. This creates a dilemma in our communities. Let’s say that 99% of all men and women who are labeled such have not or would not ever violate what should be inviolable, that still leaves 1% who would. How can our communities know that we are not in that 1%? The logic follows that the only way to ensure the safety of those on our college campuses is to assume that we are all in that 1%. The burden of proof that we are not in that minority is then placed upon us. Some people, as in Leo’s case, are open to the idea that the worst of us can still change. Others, as in Doug’s case, find what seems like unreasonable roadblocks to an ounce of success. Those who hinder us out of fear of the intangible will be the most difficult to win over.
I have had the opportunity to be faced with both kinds of people and I’ve come to a realization. The difference between those who love me and those who fear me or hate me can be summed up with one word: knowledge. If those who fear or hate me knew what those who love me know, they wouldn’t be so quick to judge me. This creates in me a serious dilemma. How can I be offended at those who refuse to accept me when the only barrier to that acceptance is knowledge?
Recently, I’ve began to consider my label a blessing. It weeds out those who do not retain the capacity or willingness to take a higher road where I am concerned. I don’t want people in my life who will smile in front of me and attack me from behind. True friendship needs a litmus test and for me it’s my label. Those who can look beyond it and come to know me as I am today are cherished friends. Everyone else are chaff that I do not need in my life.
Let me say this one last thing: If your are labeled a “Sex Offender” and you are reading this, then please understand three fundamental truths about yourself. You are valuable. Your are precious. And you are loved. You are NOT your label. It is GOOD that some people will not agree with these truths. Let them pass into and out of your life, but grasp firm to those who see you for who you really are. They are gems never to be taken lightly.
I am a sex offender in Texas, and it is required by the registration authority that I notify the school’s campus police. I am not on probation nor on parole, I am a full discharge, yet I am still required to register. I followed the rule of notifying Campus Police at a couple of colleges I applied for (Northwest Vista College, and University of Texas San Antonio). However, once I did, the Deans of those institutions said they did not want me on their property, and denied my applications to enroll.
I am also unemployed, because all of the employers I have tried applying to do not hire SOs (they won’t tell you this because I always get the same excuse like ‘Found a more qualified person’ and so on). Hell, it is so bad that I have went to an unemployment office, and my employment counselor even tells me that they can’t help me due to the S.O label.
So… this little article that SOs can go to college needs to be re-evaluated. :/
We can’t account for all the locations, however this has not been an issue any where else.