Welcome to UGA Upward Bound, an educational opportunity program hosted by the University of Georgia and funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

The major tenet of the Upward Bound Program is similar to the University’s motto, "to teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things."

• Upward Bound teaches: Providing instructional services, college workshops, career assistance and cultural enrichment activities that help students complete high and to enroll in a program of post-secondary study.
• Upward Bound serves: Scheduling community service projects that connects Upward Bound participants to community agencies; coordinating work shadowing experiences for participants that simultaneously provide free summer employees for area businesses; and promoting a proactive parents’ association that bridges the gaps between parent and participant by providing parenting workshops by trained professionals while actively involving parents in their children’s educational endeavors.
• Upward Bound inquires into the nature of things: Functioning as a liaison between high school staffers and Upward Bound participants; advocating for admission to prestigious colleges and universities and campaigning for the maximum financial aid awards while helping students research potential scholarships and other external funding sources,.

We are proud of the collaboration we have fostered since 1980 between the university, the target schools and the community to promote educational opportunities in northeast Georgia. Because of these partnerships, hundreds of first generation, low-income youths, who might otherwise not have pursued a college education, have successful completed high school and have entered college.

We are pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of Education has funded us for another four years, and we are committed to strengthening our collaborations while providing innovative service delivery models to help assist and inform our least advantaged citizens about the educational opportunities that exist.

Tonia A. Jones
Director, Upward Bound