UCSB LIFTED

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UC Santa Barbara is poised to launch a prison education program in California State Prison, Corcoran. Pending approval, the program, UCSB LIFTED (Leveraging Inspiring Futures Through Educational Degrees) will offer a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Literature. The first cohort of 24 incarcerated students will begin studying in fall 2027.

The Comparative Literature major will provide students with a broad liberal arts education and will include courses in literature, history, communication, sociology, classics, the arts, and other fields. This interdisciplinary, cross-cultural major will equip students with the skills to think critically and ethically; construct clear arguments; communicate effectively; exercise intercultural competence; and adapt to a wide range of careers in a rapidly changing job market.

UCSB LIFTED is positioned to get federal approval as the first remote Prison Education Program in the country. Its remote format will serve as a national model that will significantly expand access to a university education.

The University of California’s mission is to make higher education available to all eligible California high-school graduates and community college transfer students who wish to attend the University of California. UCSB LIFTED will ensure that incarcerated Californians have that same opportunity.

Please email IHC Associate Director Christoffer Bovbjerg at cbovbjerg@ihc.ucsb.edu if you have any questions about the program.