Upward Bound

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In 1965, The United States Congress began creating a series of programs to help low-income Americans enter college, graduate and move on to participate more fully in America’s economic and social life. These programs are funded under Title IV of the Higher Education act of 1965 and are referred to as the TRIO Programs. TRIO programs help students overcome educational, social and cultural barriers to higher education.

As part of the original TRIO programs, Upward Bound encourages and supports students by providing academic instruction and tutoring as well as personal and career counseling. The Summer Instructional Component includes: summer course work in math, language arts and a foreign language. The summer program also provides an opportunity to receive a stipend for job shadowing and internships.

The Upward Bound program of Reading Area Community College targets high school students at Reading High School in the ninth through twelfth grades. Participants are selected using the following criteria:

Family income must meet federal eligibility guidelines.
Be a current Reading High School student in 9th,10th or 11th grade.
Have a genuine interest in and the potential for success in high school and post-secondary education
Be a potential first generation college graduate (neither parent has a 4-year college degree).
Have at least a 1.5 GPA upon entry into the program