The origins of Upward Bound date back to the Educational Opportunity Act, which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. According to the Council for Opportunity in Education, the experimental program was first introduced to reduce barriers faced by low-income and first-generation college students that created inequality in educational opportunities for those students.  The program is offered through colleges, universities, and community orgaizations, and funds are distributed to individual programs through the issuance of competitive grants.

Upward Bound is just one of eight programs that are currently a part of Trio. In 1965, Talent Search, the second outreach program, was created as part of the Higher Education Act. In 1968, Student Support Services, which was originally known as Special Services for Disadvantaged Students, was authorized by the Higher Education Amendments and became the third in a series of educational opportunity programs. By the late 1960’s, the term “TRIO” was coined to describe these federal programs.  The goal of Upward Bound is to provide certain categories of high school students better opportunities for attending college. The categories of greatest concern are those with low income, those with parents who did not attend college, and those living in rural areas

Does Upward Bound Work?

YES! 95% of Upward Bound graduates have entered post-secondary education (College or University level). TRIO program research shows that Upward Bound students are four times more likely to earn a college degree than students from similar backgrounds who do not participate in the program.

Professor Amy Ko stated about Upward Bound students “Here’s what I’ve learned about the teens I’ve taught. First, they want desperately to learn, to be encouraged, and to make meaningful contributions to their country. Most of them, at their core, are skeptical about their abilities in a range of subjects and doing the hard work of finding something they can do that the world values. They’ve shared stories of the incredible burdens they’ve had to carry while thriving in school. They’re supporting their single parents emotionally and financially. They’re living in a city with a rapidly rising cost of living.  They’re taught by teachers with barely enough time to prep, teach, and grade let alone develop more meaningful, encouraging relationships with their students. And their school counselors, each managing up to 700 students, barely have enough time to make sure students are graduating, let alone meaningfully guide students toward higher education.