Eligibility
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.
- 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.
- Family college attendance: students may qualify if their parents or legal guardians do not have a 4-year college degree themselves.
- All students must be entering grades 9-12 within one of these four high schools: St. Cloud Apollo High School, St. Cloud Technical High School, Sauk Rapids-Rice High School, or Willmar High School.
NOTE: Only #3 is a requirement for enrollment - students who meet criteria #1 and/or #2 are prioritized for enrollment into the program.
To confirm eligibility, students and a parent/legal guardian will 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