West Virginia University s Upward Bound program teaches area high school students about more than college academicsit teaches them about the overall college experience.

A federally-funded TRiO program, Upward Bound is designed to help high school students overcome social, academic, cultural and class barriers to higher education.

Our primary goal is to help students prepare for college and stay enrolled once they get there,said Frances Bennett, director of WVU s Upward Bound.

WVU Upward Bound serves students in ninth to 12th grades from Clay-Battelle High School, Grafton High School and Preston High School. Once admitted into the program, students receive support through their first year of college to help ensure retention.

Participants receive free weekly tutoring; participate in monthly meetings, monthly Saturday programs at WVU and a six-week summer residential program on campus; and can take college courses for credit. Students also receive assistance with college admissions, financial aid and ACT /SAT test preparation, and they have the opportunity to earn up to $40 per month for participating in Upward Bound activities.

Upward Bound is required to provide academic programming and support in math, lab science, foreign language, composition and literature. Last year, courses such as journalism, financial literacy and service learning were also offered during the summer program.

In addition to academic assistance, students in the Upward Bound program are exposed to a variety of cultural programming and trips. In 2008, students sawThe Producers,participated in the taping of ESPN College GameDay at WVU and visited the Adventure West Virginia challenge course, among other things.

Pre- and post-testing for Upward Bound participants who attended the 2008 summer program showed a substantial improvement in test scores. On average, foreign language placement exam scores increased by 12.25 points, and in Spanish, they jumped by 41.125 points. Math scores on the ACT practice exam rose by 2.67 points and science scores by 1.73 points.

The program can accept up to 60 students. To qualify, applicants must be first-generation and/or low-income college students. Students admitted now may participate in the residential summer program, which runs from June 28 to Aug. 7.

Applications are available at middle and high school guidance offices, the WVU Upward Bound office at 709B North High St. and online at http://upwardbound.wvu.edu . The priority deadline for applications is May 15.

For more information, contact Bennett at 304-293-6199 or ” upwardbound@mail.wvu.edu rel=nofollow> upwardbound@mail.wvu.edu .