Southeast Tech Gains Approval for Pell Grant Programs

Inmates in the Sioux Falls area can now apply for Pell Grants to pay for welding and diesel mechanic courses.

Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Financial Aid

Southeast Tech Gains Approval for Pell Grant Programs

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Should taxpayer money fund college courses for people in prison?

Southeast Technical College received approval to offer Second Chance Pell Grant-eligible programming for inmates, allowing them to access Pell Grants for welding and diesel mechanic courses. The approval follows a state Department of Labor grant that ran out this fall.

Why it matters

Half of people released from South Dakota prisons return within three years, and the Pell Grants are intended to reduce repeat offenses by giving inmates job-ready skills. The state's Correctional Rehabilitation Task Force has tentatively endorsed the approach as part of a broader rehabilitation package.

Half of people released from South Dakota prisons return within three years, a figure the Pell Grants aim to reduce. Gov. Larry Rhoden awarded Southeast Tech a $1.5 million Future Fund grant to set up a diesel mechanic program, and the number of enrolled inmates has not been disclosed.

The players

Southeast Technical College

A public technical college in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, that offers vocational programs including welding and diesel mechanics.

Gov. Larry Rhoden

The governor of South Dakota, who awarded a $1.5 million Future Fund grant to Southeast Tech for a diesel mechanic program.

Correctional Rehabilitation Task Force

A South Dakota state task force that tentatively endorsed using Pell Grants for inmate skills training as part of a 34-point rehabilitation package.

The details

Inmates apply for Pell Grants by completing a paper Free Application for Federal Student Aid, with eligibility determined the same way as for other students. The welding program began five years ago with state Department of Labor funding, and the first Pell Grant-funded welding cohort is set to start in January.

2023: Second Chance Pell Grants became available to inmates nationally.
Late October 2026: The Correctional Rehabilitation Task Force announced approval of Southeast Tech's programming.
December 2026: The task force will compile and vote on its 34-point recommendations.
January 2027: The first Pell Grant-funded welding cohort begins.
August 2027: First diesel training courses are scheduled to begin at Jameson Annex.

Roadmap

South Dakota's approvals extend the federal Second Chance Pell Grants program, which made inmates eligible for Pell Grants in 2023. Western Dakota Technical College in Rapid City is the third state tech school approved under the program.

Eligible inmates in the Sioux Falls area can now apply for Pell Grants through a paper Free Application for Federal Student Aid to fund welding and diesel mechanic training. Families and former inmates may see new job-training options that could affect employment after release.

The takeaway

Programs that pair federal aid with job training may offer a practical route for people leaving prison to build skills that improve their chances of staying out.

What happens next

The Correctional Rehabilitation Task Force will compile and vote on its 34-point rehabilitation package in December 2026, and the first Pell Grant-funded welding cohort begins in January 2027.