Recruitment: Building a Prison-to-University Pipeline

Transfer Support & Application Coaching

We offer direct support to formerly and currently incarcerated students preparing to transfer to UC campuses, with a special focus on UC Berkeley. Each year, we select a Transfer Cohort of carceral system-impacted applicants who receive personalized coaching through every stage of the application process. Services include:

Transcript analysis and major preparation
1:1 advising with formerly incarcerated staff and mentors
Personal insight question (PIQ) feedback and editing
Community events and peer mentorship
📌 SIGN UP for the 2025 TRANSFER PROGRAM HERE

Transfer Pledge

We offer a Transfer Pledge for formerly incarcerated students who are earlier in their community college journey. Students in the pledge program receive mentorship, early advising, and access to Underground Scholars events and community. For eligibility information and application please visit http://tiny.cc/transferpledge

How to Prepare for Transfer

**Underground Scholars UC Transfer Roadmap**

Incarcerated Scholars Program

We support currently incarcerated students across California through written correspondence, transcript evaluation, and college readiness advising. Incarcerated students can write to us for support with educational planning and UC transfer preparation:

Underground Scholars
2400C Bancroft Way
Berkeley, CA 94704

Please note: responses may be delayed around finals or school breaks, as all mail is answered by student staff.

Incarceration to College

Incarceration to College (ITC) is a UC- and A–G–approved college readiness course developed by Underground Scholars and taught inside juvenile halls. It prepares incarcerated youth to transition into community colleges or UC/CSU campuses after release. The course offers:

College prep curriculum rooted in abolition and educational equity
CTE credit for high school completion
Trauma-informed, culturally-relevant teaching
A vision for transformation through education
Currently offered to all incarcerated youth in Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and San Francisco

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT INCARCERATION TO COLLEGE

Community College Ambassador Program

Our Ambassador Program is a year-long program that trains and supports formerly incarcerated and system-impacted students to serve as recruitment leaders on their community college campuses. BUS provides monthly training workshops and mentorship to our ambassadors. BUS Ambassadors represent BUS at their local community colleges by

Hosting info sessions and workshops
Tabling and doing outreach on campus
Connect students to Underground Scholars resources

We will being accepting applications for the 2025-2026 Underground Scholars Ambassador program in May 2025.

Cross Enrollment

We partner with UC Berkeley faculty to offer cross-enrollment opportunities for community college students to take UC Berkeley courses for credit while still enrolled at their college. This allows students to demonstrate UC readiness and experience the academic rigor of the university.