On his first day out of prison after 27 years, Allen Burnett bought shoes from a discount store, visited Target, and stopped at the beach to smell the ocean air. He then made his way to the one place he had dreamed about while behind bars: Cal State Los Angeles.

A college on the grounds of San Quentin State Prison recently became an independently operated and accredited institution.

Cal State L.A. is preparing to launch a program for women incarcerated at the California Institution for Women to earn bachelor’s degrees in Chino this fall. Instruction will be in-person, for about 30 students, with priority for those who have already completed an associate’s degree through a program offered by partnering Chaffey College, a community college in Rancho Cucamonga.

Mount Tamalpais College, a program for inmates at San Quentin State Prison, has been granted accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The designation came from the association’s Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, a 19-member board that reviews whether schools meet certain educational standards.

When Jason Keaton mentioned that there was a chance to earn a college education at Lancaster State Prison, his brother urged him to sign up. Keaton went on to earn two associates degrees through correspondence courses provided by Feather River College, a two-year institution in northern California.

The new program at Fresno State, a collaboration between the College of Social Sciences, the Division of Continuing and Global Education, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, expands access to higher education among one of the most marginalized populations in the state.

About $1.8 million in state funding will be allocated toward expanding a pilot program helmed by UC Irvine for incarcerated individuals to pursue a bachelor’s degree in sociology, according to an announcement this week by the university.

CSU and UC Programs are showing promising results in successfully reintegrating students into the educational system.