The UC Irvine Leveraging Inspiring Futures Through Educational Degrees fund (aka LIFTED), is changing what's possible in prison education. As the first in-prison BA-degree completion program in the UC system, LIFTED enables incarcerated students to transfer to UC Irvine as juniors and earn their bachelor's degrees while serving their sentences. This is more than education – it's transformation, rehabilitation and hope.
In 2024, we celebrated our very first graduation ceremony on-site at Richard J. Donovan prison. Over sixty members of the UC Irvine community attended the graduation alongside the graduates’ friends and families, including Chancellor Howard Gillman and nearly 20 faculty who have taught in LIFTED.
Watch our 2024 LIFTED Graduation video
Building on recent admission successes and support from the state legislature, the LIFTED program is being replicated at UC campuses throughout the state: UCR LIFTED launched in Fall 2024, and UCSD faculty are partnering with UC Irvine to support expanded course offerings for incarcerated students in the San Diego area. California’s Master Plan envisioned that “anyone from anywhere in California” could access a world-class education. LIFTED is realizing this dream, supporting eligible incarcerated students in matriculating to UC Irvine.
The potential for personal transformation for those participating in a liberal arts education provides the foundational tools – breadth of knowledge and creative problem solving – to live meaningful and rewarding lives. Your investment this Giving Day will not only support LIFTED’s incarcerated transfer students but will also usher in a wave of prison and education reform throughout the state.
To discuss additional ways to support, please contact Duane Rohrbacher, J.D., Ph.D. at rohrbacd@uci.edu.
| Rank | State | Gifts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CA | 53 |
| 2 | TX | 1 |
| 2 | RI | 1 |
