Welcome to Project Rebound

Project Rebound welcomes inquiries from anyone who has been previously incarcerated or has prior criminal justice system involvement, and is interested in attending Cal State East Bay to obtain their degree. All current Cal State East Bay students who have lived experience with the criminal justice system are also eligible to participate in Project Rebound. Our admission requirements are as follows.

To be eligible for Project Rebound, you must:

• Be formerly incarcerated (can be on or off parole/probation);
• Be living or paroling to the San Francisco Bay Area; 
• Possess the ability and commitment to perform college-level work;
• Be motivated to succeed and benefit from a college education;
• Maintain satisfactory progress and complete ideally 12 but at a minimum 6 units each semester;
• Submit an admission application to Cal State East Bay (CalApply);
• Submit a financial aid application

Cal State East Bay's Project Rebound offers wraparound services to support our students' success, including:

ACADEMICS

• Admissions assistance;
• Academic advising and advocacy;
• Accessibility and accommodations

ASSISTANCE

• Financial aid and scholarship guidance;
• Financial assistance for tuition, books, supplies, meals, and transportation;
• Financial support during financial emergency situations;
• Internships and work study positions;
• Counseling services

WORKSHOPS/SUPPORT

• Peer mentoring, workshops, and support networks;
• Guidance on balancing academic and personal life;
• Skills development;
• STEM tutoring;
• Graduate school advising;
• Career and goal planning;
• Community engagement;
• Legal and social services referrals;
• Activism for social and restorative justice

Project Rebound aims to ensure your success at Cal State East Bay and help you develop the tools you need to be successful after you graduate. We welcome all people with lived experience being formerly incarcerated to participate in our program. As a Rebound Scholar participating in this program, we expect the following from you:

• Make a full commitment to participating in Project Rebound each year;
• Meet with the Project Rebound Executive Direct or Program Coordinator at least once per semester;
• Participate in ALL program activities and be an active participant in the Project Rebound community;
• Attend and actively participate in training and career development workshops held once per semester;
• Maintain a minimum 2.0 grade point average (higher requirements to be eligible for financial aid support);
• Make positive contributions to the Project Rebound community and engage with Rebound staff and scholars in a meaningful, respectful, and courteous manner. 

Project Rebound is a unique student services support program because we connect with prospective students even before they may be thinking about attending Cal State East Bay.

We partner with various correctional facilities, such as the Juvenile Justice Center (JJC) in San Leandro and San Quentin Prison. Project Rebound staff volunteer their time to teach classes inside each of these facilities, through partnerships with Laney College (JJC) and Mount Tamalpais College (San Quentin).

We have close relationships with our local community colleges and the support programs on their campuses, such as Laney College's Restoring Our Communities (ROC) and Chabot College's Restorative Integrated Self-Education (RISE), and Solano Community College's Students Overcoming Adversity and Recidivism (SOAR).