The TRiO Upward Bound program supports current high school students and their families to help prepare them for success in college. This federal program provides the fundamental support needed to help students gain the confidence they need and the organization and planning required to smoothly transition to college and university education. The program is designed to serve U.S. citizen-students as well as students applying for permanent residency in the United States whose parents did not graduate from a four-year college or university, low-income students, and academically disadvantaged students.

The goal of Simpson University’s Upward Bound program is to increase the number of local high school graduates, assist them with completing their secondary education, and to help them build the skills and confidence to go on and enroll in and graduate from postsecondary educational institutions.

Upward Bound provides students with tutoring, counseling, mentoring, cultural enrichment activities, work-study programs, and above-and-beyond education and counseling services that improves the financial and economic literacy skills of students. Additional support is also provided for students who are or were homeless, students who are in foster care or who are aging out of the foster care system, and other disconnected students who critically need additional support to succeed and continue in their educational journeys.

Eligibility

Students must be committed to reaching the following goals in order to be admitted into and participate in Upward Bound:

• Complete the current academic year and continue in school for the next academic year at the next grade level
• Complete a rigorous high school program of study (completing A-G requirements)
• Graduate with a regular high school diploma
• Enroll in a college by the fall term immediately following high school graduation
• Obtain a college degree

Upward Bound Free Services

• Tutoring
• Academic, financial, and career guidance
• Career exploration and planning support
• Step-by-step assistance in completing college admissions and financial aid applications
• Workshops to develop skills for success
• Trips to four-year schools, both public and private, as well as community colleges
• Trips to cultural events
• Assistance in preparing for college entrance exams
• Six-week summer programming encompassing enrollment in:
  • an online college course
  • a STEM project
  • a college residential program
  • a work study project
  • instruction in English, Math, Science, and Foreign Language