What is Upward Bound?

Upward Bound is a dynamic, academic enrichment program designed to prepare high school students for college. Upward Bound students come from families with limited financial resources and have parents who have not received a bachelor’s degree. Upward Bound is a TRiO Program, federally funded by the Department of Education.

Why Participate in Upward Bound?

The Northern Oklahoma College Enid Upward Bound Academy has successfully granted life-changing opportunities to first-generation, college-bound students. In addition to preparing students for college, Upward Bound offers students a variety of experiences, including career exploration, community service, and diverse cultural activities. We also assist students with the college application process, including requesting financial aid. By guiding our students, we enhance their opportunities to pursue a degree and continue on with their academic careers.

How do we know we are successful?

Parents and students often wonder how we measure our success as an educational program. The U.S. Department of Education measures our success on the following six objectives:

• That we have at least 60 students in the program at all times.
• Seniors served during the project year will have achieved at the proficient level on state assessments in reading/language arts and math.
• Students served during the project year will continue in school for the next academic year at the next grade level, or will have graduated from secondary school with a regular secondary school diploma.
• Current and prior year students, who at the time of entrance into the project had an expected high school graduation date in the school year, will complete a rigorous secondary school program of study and graduate in that school year with a regular secondary school diploma.
• Students who at the time of entrance into the project had an expected graduation date in the school year, will enroll in a program of post-secondary education by the fall term immediately following high school graduation, or will have received notification, by the fall term immediately following high school, from an institution of higher education, of acceptance but deferred enrollment until the next academic semester (e.g. spring semester).
• Students who enrolled in a program of post-secondary education by the fall term immediately following high school graduation or by the next academic term (e.g. spring term) as a result of acceptance by deferred enrollment, will attain either an associate’s or bachelor’s degree within six years following graduation from high school.

The Northern Oklahoma College Upward Bound Academy tracks involvement with students; we monitor students’ personal and academic achievements. Accurate and timely data is essential to evaluating the effectiveness of educational programs, particularly Upward Bound and other TRIO programs. The U.S. Department of Education emphasizes particular interest in information from post-secondary education data systems that that provide outcome data of prior Upward Bound students.