We are home to five thriving U.S. Department of Education TRiO outreach and student services programs, each designed to increase college access and success for first-generation, low-income students in East Tennessee and surrounding rural areas. For over 30 years these programs have helped hundreds of veterans, adults, rural students, and youth from disadvantaged backgrounds enroll in and complete college. Our active outreach programs include:
- Academic Enrichment Upward Bound (AEUB)
- Educational Opportunity Center (EOC)
- Math and Science Upward Bound (MSUB)
- Pre-College Upward Bound (PCUB)
- Veterans Upward Bound (VUB)
“One that beareth a torch shadoweth oneself to give light to others.”
Academic Enrichment Upward Bound (AEUB)
AEUB serves students who are first-generation college students and those who come from a financially disadvantaged background. The goal is to assist the participants to successfully graduate from high school, enroll in college following their high school graduation, and earn a college degree. All services are provided at no cost.
Educational Opportunity Center
EOC assists low-income, first-generation participants to complete secondary school requirements and enroll in post-secondary education programs. Services are offered at several locations, including Knoxville and Athens in Tennessee, Franklin in North Carolina, and Blue Ridge in Georgia.
Math and Science Upward Bound (MSUB)
MSUB strengthens the math and science skills of participating students. The goal of the program is to help these students recognize and develop their potential to excel in these subjects, to encourage them to pursue postsecondary degrees in related disciplines, and, ultimately, to obtain careers in the many professional fields of math and science.
Pre-College Upward Bound (PCUB)
PCUB is a federal TRiO program funded by the US Department of Education. PCUB seeks to serve individuals who are first-generation college students or who come from a financially disadvantaged background. The goal is to assist the participants to successfully graduate from high school, enroll in college and earn a degree.
Veterans Upward Bound (VUB)
VUB supports veterans while pursuing their educational, career, personal, and social goals. VUB provides intensive basic skills development, short-term refresher courses, and intensive individualized tutoring to help veterans successfully transition to postsecondary education. Academic subjects covered in the instructional component include math, algebra, pre-calculus, lab sciences, English, writing skills, literature, and personal computer literacy.
Recent NEWS
We cordially invite you to attend an insightful guest presentation by Sophie McGuiness, a distinguished Ph.D. candidate from Vanderbilt University. This event is planned to take place on Thursday, March...
By Karina Beltrán On February 4, 2024, the TRIO programs at UTK ERO proudly represented our university and center at the annual conference of the Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity...
I’ve been on ChatGPT a lot lately and—apparently—I’m not the only one. I’m not actually using it (though I intend to); I’m there to gawk over what it can do—and,...
Math and Science Upward Bound students provided community service outreach to Andersonville Elementary School and led a STEM Bridge Building challenge for their summer school participants.
In August 2021, Education Research & Opportunity Center Pre-College Upward Bound (PCUB) Project Director Jonathan Curry was featured in a WBIR Channel 10 article where he highlighted the important work...
Earlier this year Dr. Robert Kelchen was invited to share his expertise on college finance and affordability or Consider This on National Public Radio (NPR).
Dr. Cameron Sublett recently penned a guest blog on EdWeek where he discussed the potential impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the career outcomes of graduates from