Students who participate in Upward Bound are more likely to graduate from college than students from similar backgrounds (education, income) who don't participate in UB.
Of all students who go to college, only about 65% graduate! Yep - even if you make it to college, there's no guarantee you'll get that important degree. For students who are from lower income homes and/or whose parents don't have a college degree ("first generation" students) the percentages are lower - even for "high achieving" students!
UB students are encouraged and supported to take tough college-prep classes, including four years of math, science, language arts, social studies and world language when possible. (Taking and passing high level math classes is a good predictor of college success.)
UB also makes sure students know about important college-prep steps and events like visiting colleges, preparing for and taking the PSAT, volunteering and networking to explore career options, keeping a student résumé, preparing a strong college application, applying for scholarships and financial aid in a timely manner, and more. UB's summer "practice college" helps students understand the skills and behaviors they need to develop to be good college students.
Upward Bound students earn money
for UB participation.
Stipends are given for full participation at regular UB tutoring sessions and Saturday events during the academic year. In summer,
UB students earn a weekly stipend. Selected students may also be
eligible for UB's work-study program where they explore a
career that interests them and earn a stipend. Over a four-year
period, a student who participates fully in UB programming can earn
over $1,000 in stipends!
UB students meet new college-bound friends.
Upward Bound at UW-L serves students from three Wisconsin counties. When you join UB you'll meet
students from six or seven other area schools who are working on the same
college goals.
UB graduates can count on continuing help and support
from Upward Bound.
UB provides a "Bridge" program for selected
graduates that helps them through their first summer at college with
tutoring, advising and mentoring; tuition, room and board; special
events and even a summer job. After that, we hope our graduates will
keep in contact and call on us if they need help choosing a graduate
school, transferring to a different college or getting references
for a job application. Once you graduate from UB, you will have a
built-in support system during your college career and beyond.
A new report, published in Postsecondary Education OPPORTUNITY (issue 188, February 2008), notes that "...while the college participation rate for students from low income families has declined by 3.8 percentage points between FY1999 and FY2006, the college participation rate for 18 to 24 year olds without Pell Grants increased by 6.2 percentage points. The gap between these two rates was wider in FY2006 than it has been at any time since these data were first reported in FY1993."
