Our goal is for all of our students to enroll in college the fall immediately after high school and then earn a bachelor's degree within 6 years.
Who is eligible to participate?
- Current 9th or 10th grade student
- Attend Burnsville, Two Rivers, or South Saint Paul High School
- Meet income guidelines OR parent(s)/guardian(s) do NOT have a 4-year college degree (bachelor's degree)
- 2.5 GPA or higher
- Serious about attending college the immediately after high school graduation
What do UB students do?
All services and trips are FREE to participants.
- 1:1 meetings with an advisor
- Get help choosing, applying to, and paying for college
- Prepare for the ACT
- Get help with homework
- Learn about college options
- Visit college campuses
- Take educational and cultural trips
Get paid to participate!
Students typically earn up to $40/month during the school year and $60 during the summer just for participating in UB activities.
When does UB meet?
Academic Year Schedule
- Stay after school twice a week to prepare for college and work on homework
- 1:1 meeting with your advisor once a month (you schedule dates/times)
- 1 Saturday Session per month (lunch provided)
- 2 Family Night workshops per year (dinner provided)
- 1:1 tutoring three times per semester (you schedule dates/times)
Summer Schedule
- 6 weeks
- Mid-June through end of July/early August
- 3-4 weeks at Dakota County Technical College, 2-3 weeks of overnight travel
- Transportation provided between your high school and DCTC
- Breakfast and lunch are provided daily
- All trips and activities are 100% free for participants
Where does UB travel?
- College campuses, as close as Normandale Community College and as far as the University of California, Los Angeles
- Educational and cultural field trips
Where do UB students go to college?
Why should I join?
Read these quotes from UB seniors about why they joined the program.
At first it was to get help in school, but later on I realized Upward Bound was more then just getting help in school. It was getting help on your ACTs, figuring out what you want to do in your future career, finding a college, and most of all your getting to know your advisors and students from different schools. That's when I realized Upward Bound was an amazing opportunity for me.
Upward Bound helps me choose the right college for me by providing me opportunities of visiting universities, listening to UB alumnus, and taking lessons (financial aids and college admission). Not only preparing for college, Upward Bound teach me to how to adapt myself in different environment. I learned to made bonds with unknown people in or out of school. I learned to respect and enjoy learning different culture while living in Puerto Rico. Or in nature, I found ourselves fall in love with nature here. All of these opportunities of traveling are provided to me by Upward Bound.
I joined UB because I wanted help with completing my goal of being the first in my family to go to college. It seemed like the best option because the program was free and provided a lot of guidance from experts.
I was blessed with supportive parents but because both of them didn't finish high school they could never help me when it came to school. A student needs more than a "you can do it". If it wasn't for Upward Bound I would have dropped out.
Fall Application Timeline
- Click the button below to complete your online application by September 30.
- If you qualify, we will email you about setting up an interview with you AND your parent(s)/guardian(s) in October.
- Admission decisions will be made and students will be notified by end of October.
- New students will start attending UB afterschool the first week of November.
Spring Application Timeline
- Click the button below to complete your online application by January 31.
- If you qualify, we will email you about setting up an interview with you AND your parent(s)/guardian(s) in February.
- Admission decisions will be made and students will be notified by end of February.
- New students will start attending UB afterschool the first week of March.