Our Story

The mission of Mount Tamalpais College is to provide an intellectually rigorous, inclusive Associate of Arts degree program and College Preparatory Program, free of charge, to people at San Quentin State Prison; to expand access to quality higher education for incarcerated people; and to foster the values of equity, civic engagement, independence of thought, and freedom of expression.

Mount Tamalpais College is guided by the following values:

Opportunity and Access. We believe all people should have access to affordable higher education, and the opportunity to develop their human potential. Excellent academic preparation is vital to accessing the forms of social, political, economic, and cultural capital from which many have historically been excluded.
Excellence. We believe every person has the right to the highest quality academic opportunities, including highly skilled, experienced faculty and staff, intensive individualized support, and quality educational materials.
Independent, Critical Thinking, and Respectful Dialog. Our central purpose as a higher education institution is to cultivate the capacity for independent, critical thought, curiosity, and listening. We value freedom of expression and civil discourse. The ability to communicate across intellectual, cultural, and ideological difference is vital for fostering healthy civil society.
Human Dignity. We honor the individuality and unique backgrounds and viewpoints of every person, and believe every human being has intrinsic value. We strive to promote a vibrant and diverse community based on mutual respect and trust.

In 1994, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act barred people incarcerated in the U.S. from receiving Pell Grants. This piece of legislation effectively ended prison higher education across the country, as nearly all of the approximately 350 programs shut down for lack of funds. Our work at San Quentin began in the wake of this disaster and, for over 20 years, the Prison University Project was the only on-site degree-granting program in a California prison. For the first two decades of operation, we operated as an extension site of nearby Patten University. We changed our name to Mount Tamalpais College in 2020.

Today, with unprecedented social, political, and philanthropic interest, our leadership has helped to expand access to higher education—not only at San Quentin but within California’s prison system and nationwide. In January 2022, after an intensive application and review process, Mount Tamalpais College was granted Initial Accreditation by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), making us the first independent liberal arts institution dedicated specifically to serving incarcerated students.

YEARS

Our commitment to providing high-quality liberal arts education at San Quentin began in 1996.

3,731

STUDENTS

Since 1996, nearly four thousand students have taken at least one course with us at San Quentin.

COURSES

We provide 60 intellectually rigorous, liberal arts courses each year to students pursuing their AA degree.

2015 National Humanities Medal

In recognition of our impact and our leadership in supporting educational opportunities for incarcerated people, our organization was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama.