Admissions

All prospective students are accepted into the program as long as they have a high school diploma or High School Equivalency Certificate (in California, the GED, HiSET, or TASC) and are eligible for transfer to San Quentin Rehabilitation Center where our on-site instruction is offered.

Our carefully designed College Preparatory Program helps ready students for an intellectually rigorous and high-quality college education, despite gaps in their educational backgrounds, learning differences, time away from school, or other challenges. Throughout the degree program, we offer heavy support to students through an on-site learning specialist, one-on-one tutoring, accommodations, and personalized advising. We are also implementing adaptive technologies and will be developing other supports for our students with hearing loss.

If you know someone who is currently incarcerated at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center:

Prospective students may fill out a waitlist slip in Education, requesting to be added to our waitlist. Students are enrolled in the program on a first-come, first-served basis. After attending a required New Student Orientation, students are placed into classes based on the results of their writing and math assessments. Approximately 90% of students are enrolled in college preparatory classes before taking credit-level courses, ensuring they are equipped with the tools they need to thrive in a demanding college environment.

If you know someone who is currently incarcerated in another California prison:

Prospective students may write us a letter expressing their interest in the program and providing the information listed below. Once we receive their letter, we will send a letter of acceptance directly to their counselor.

• Name and CDC#
• Confirmation that they have a GED or high school diploma
• Counselor’s name

All letters should be addressed to:

Admissions
Mount Tamalpais College
Post Office Box 492
San Quentin, CA 94964

Can students take classes with you when they are released from San Quentin?
We do not currently have course offerings for students post-release. We do, however, support our alumni in transferring to other colleges and connect alumni to further resources. For more information, please contact the director of student affairs at academics@mttamcollege.org.

Is this a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation program?
No. We use classroom space provided by the Education Department at San Quentin, and we work with the prison to ensure compliance with their requirements for volunteers and programs, but we are an independent organization.

Do students pay for your programs?
No, there are no fees for students. Mount Tamalpais College provides all necessary books and supplies to students, and does not charge tuition or fees.

Is your curriculum prison-specific?
We provide an education that is comparable in most ways to colleges outside of prison, and we ask faculty to bring the same syllabi, content, and expectations to our students that they would to college students of the same level outside of prison. We do, however, stress a trauma-informed pedagogical approach and offer specific learning supports that acknowledge the learning needs some of our students may have due to their incarceration.