Ohio Wesleyan University | Upward Bound Program

Upward Bound Program
Ohio Wesleyan University
219 Phillips Hall
Delaware, OH 43015

Phone: (740) 368-3215

E-mail: upwrdbnd@owu.edu

Welcome

UPWARD BOUND is one of six national federally funded TRIO Programs. Our mission is to provide high school students (low-income and potential-first-generation college students) with the skills and motivation needed to enter and complete a college or university of their choice. Over the past 44 years, the program has served hundreds of Columbus area families. OWU Upward Bound has a 98 percent college-placement rate and a 56% college graduation rate.

The program presently serves 105 students who are recruited as freshman and sophomores. As determined by the grant proposal, qualifying students must attend one of the “target schools, or their home school must be one of the schools served”. A list of these schools can be found in the Who is Eligible page.

History

OWU / Upward Bound Student Leadership Conference Delegation

The history of Upward Bound is progressive. As the oldest of all of the TRIO programs, Upward Bound is a highly successful, college preparatory program of rigorous academic instruction, individual tutoring and counseling for potential-first-generation college graduate or low-income students.

The original three TRIO programs were spawned by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. Upward Bound was the first of the three to be funded. During the summer of 1965, the office of Economic Opportunity funded eighteen pilot projects across the nation.

Following the success of the pilot programs, Upward Bound was authorized as a national program under Title II-A of the Economic Opportunity Act; and in 1966, the programs were expanded from 18 to 220. There are presently 971 Classic Upward Bound programs nationwide.