Program Information

During the school year, we offer…

• Weekly after-school tutoring from College of Saint Benedict students
• Weekly advising sessions are available with your Program Advisor for anything on your mind about going to college
• “Saturday Sessions” focused on culture, academics, or college prep — field trips are common!
• College prep including: campus tours, applications, ACT and other exam prep, navigating financial aid, and anything you might ask for help with

There’s stuff happening in the summer too!

• 6 week summer program available to all Upward Bound students
• Your Program Advisor is available throughout the summer program and beyond
• Annual activities vary: college tours, overnight field trips, elective classes, career exploration, service learning, etc.

When you decide to join Upward Bound, you make a commitment – to us, but also to yourself. You say, “I’m dedicated to getting good grades, I’m dedicated to going to college, and I’m dedicated to attain a college degree.”

There are 3 main activities you would be commiting to doing with us:

1. Tutoring
2. Saturday Sessions
3. Summer Program

Tutoring…

Every week, you will be able to come to tutoring. At these weekly sessions, you will have access to CSB and SJU college student tutors, and your Program Advisor. This way, you can work on homework with a college student (hello good grades, and an inside scoop on what college is like!), or do some college planning with your advisor. These weekly sessions go most of the school year – from September to May.

Saturday Sessions…

These are special sessions offered during the school year – from September to May. These sessions are a lot more fun than tutoring – go on college tours, visit new cities, see museums or plays, and more. Offerings change every year, based on the activities our current students want to do!

Nearly all of our Saturday Sessions are hosted at the College of St. Benedit or St. John’s Univeristy, and most sessions are 9am-3pm. At these sessions, you’ll see your CSB/SJU tutor, program advisor, and program director.

Summer program…

This is our favorite part! For 6 weeks, you get to experience college life. We will host academic and elective classes, group activities, field trips, and sometimes travel together.

The summer 2024 program begins June 2 and ends July 12. Students stay on campus during the week, taking classes, experiencing college life activities, and taking field trips. We’re also planning an overnight trip from July 1 to 3! Options to attend as a “day student” are available.

A typical day consists of:

• Going to class in the morning (math, english, science, and foreign language)
• Eating a buffet lunch at the college cafeteria
• Going to afternoon elective classes (anything from art to technology)
• Eating again – pizza parties are common
• Group activities in the evening (sports, talent show, movies, swimming, etc.)

We will provide parents/guardians with a full schedule of events and permission slips. We are happy to provide accommodations for various religious practices, dietary restrictions, ability levels, and more.  Activities may change due to COVID-19 regulations, but notice will be provided when possible. Please contact the Program Director with any questions or concerns accommodations.

Upward Bound is one of many TRIO programs you can be involved in, so when you graduate high school and go to college, you can keep getting support like you will experience with Upward Bound.

There are more than 700,000 TRIO participants being served right now, and more than 1,900 prgorams people participate in. TRIO programs prioritize serving people who are first-generation and come from families with economic instability, because we know how hard it is! College isn’t easy anyway, but if you don’t have parents who know how to navigate the complexities of college, or to help fund tuition, it can feel too overwhelming to try.  That’s why we’re here, and our whole mission is to help you try – and succeed.

TRIO students are 42% Caucasian, 35% African-American, 15% Hispanic, 4% Native American, and 4% Asian-American. Approximately 16,000 TRIO students are disabled.

Upward Bound really works…

• Students who join Upward Bound are four times more likely to earn their college degree than those students from similar backgrounds who did not join
• Students who join another TRIO program while in college are two times more likely to earn their college degree than students who don’t join another TRIO program
• Since 1965, about 2,000,000 students have earned their college degree with the help of a TRIO program

Upward Bound is one of many TRIO programs funded by the US Department of Education. Funds are distributed to institutions through competitive grants. There are over 1,200 colleges and agencies that offer TRIO programs, and each TRIO program supports a different population of students.

When you attend college, look for those that offer:

Student Support Services

This program supports college students, who are often graduates of Upward Bound. This program prioritizes serving people from families with low incomes and/or where neither parent graduated from college.  Participants receive academic tutoring, disability advocacy, mentoring, and supplemental instruction.

Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement

Named in honor of the astronaut who died in the 1986 space-shuttle explosion, this program supports college graduates who are considering becoming college professors or earning a doctorate degree. The program prioritizes serving people from families with low incomes, and minorities, to connect people to research opportunities and faculty mentoring.

Educational Opportunity Centers

There are 74 of these centers in the US, and serve displaced or under-employed workers. The program prioritizes serving people from families with low incomes, and can help people navigate college to advance in their chosen career.

Additional Resources 

Who is eligible for Upward Bound?

We wish we could serve every high school student! But studies show that there are a few factors that make going to college extra difficult, so our grant requires that a certain percentage of our program participants are affected by these factors. These factors are: family income, family college attendance, and student grade level and location.

1. Family income: students may qualify if their family income is considered “low”, which depends on how many family members live in the home and federal guidelines that may change each year.
2. Family college attendance: students may qualify if their parents or legal guardians do not have a 4-year college degree themselves.
3. Students must be in the Central MN region, between graduating 8th grade to graduating senior year. Our preferred schools are St. Cloud Apollo High School, St. Cloud Technical High School, Sauk Rapids-Rice High School, and Willmar High School.

NOTE: You do not need to meet all 3 eligibility requirements to join. To make the biggest impact, we prioritize students who meet at least two requirements.

To confirm eligibility, students and a parent/legal guardian complete an application and meet with one of our Program Advisors. In this meeting, we will also get to know the student’s:

• Interest in going to college
• Motivation to succeed in high school
• Willingness to stay in the program until high school graduation
• Willingness to attend most Saturday sessions
• Willingness to attend the 6-week summer program