Historical Information
The federal Upward Bound program was originally authorized by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 in response to President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. It was the first of three programs to be funded in what later would become known as TRIO programs.
TRIO programs were designed to work alongside federal financial aid programs. While financial aid programs were designed to assist students financially, TRIO programs were designed to help in overcoming educational, social, class, and cultural barriers.
Upward Bound students are four (4) times more likely to earn an undergraduate degree than those students from similar backgrounds who did not participate in a TRIO program.