Saint Francis University Upward Bound Program Accepting Student Applications
Loretto, PA (09/13/2021) — The Saint Francis University Upward Bound Program is accepting applications from college-bound 9th and 10th-grade students attending public schools throughout Cambria County. Upward Bound is designed to help students prepare for and pursue a college degree following high school graduation.
History
A federal TRIO Program funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Upward Bound has prepared over 2,500 qualifying students for the challenges of college. Each year the program provides services to 110 students. Originally funded in 1966, Saint Francis' Upward Bound Program is one of the oldest Upward Bounds in the U.S. and is the oldest continuously funded Upward Bound in Pennsylvania.
Provided at no cost to participants, the program offers a wide variety of academic, career, cultural, and social development activities. From September through May students participate in Saturday follow-ups held on Saint Francis' campus and tutorials held after school in their communities. Additional academic year activities include college visits, SAT cram sessions, FAFSA completion nights, and college fairs. In addition to SAT and college application fee waivers, the staff provides students with assistance completing their college and scholarship applications. Each summer participants live on the Saint Francis University campus for six weeks, attending academic classes in math, lab sciences, literature, foreign languages, and social sciences. The program also sponsors tutorials, a work-study component, volunteer opportunities, and cultural activities during the summer.
To qualify for the program, students must either come from a family with a modest income or from a family in which neither parent has a bachelor's degree.
Success
On average, 93% of program graduates enroll in college; nationally, only 55% of low-income students pursue a college degree, while 62.6% of potential first-generation college students in the U.S. enroll in a postsecondary institution.
Seventy-six percent of Upward Bound alumni earn a college degree within six years of high school graduation. By contrast, nationwide 11% of first-generation college students from modest-income families earn a bachelor's degree within six years of college enrollment nationwide. Among the program's graduates are physicians, engineers, educators, nurses, lawyers, business people, and physical therapists; they are employed by such companies as Alcoa, Chase Manhattan Bank, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, State Farm, and the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation.
To learn more about the program or request an application, contact Anne Heinzeroth, Upward Bound Director, at upwardbound@francis.edu or (814) 472-3023 or 1 (800) 457-6300.
Saint Francis University
Marie Young (814) 472-3127 myoung@francis.edu, Erin McCloskey (814) 472-3938 emcccloskey@francis.eduShare this Story
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