STUDENTS WE SERVE

Pre-College Upward Bound serves those individuals who may be identified as potential first-generation college students, individuals who come from a financially disadvantaged background, or both. Individuals must be attending or zoned to one of the following high schools:

Knox County	Carter, Gibbs, South-Doyle, West
Blount County	Heritage, William Blount
Sevier County	Northview Academy, Sevier County

PCUB assists East Tennessee youth with resources and opportunities for educational growth in a variety of ways: attending extracurricular programming, providing financial support for additional standardized testing and tutoring, providing visits to post-secondary institutions, and providing exposure to local and regional cultural activities.

Pre-College Upward Bound also provides a summer transitional experience for up to five graduating seniors the summer immediately following their high school graduation. PCUB provides the TRiO Achiever’s Scholarship which provides room and board, tuition for up to two courses, academic supplies, and weekly meetings for tutoring and transition to college support. This scholarship helps many students jumpstart their college transcript, especially in those schools that do not have dual-enrollment and AP/IB courses available.

PROGRAM SERVIces

PCUB’s individualized approach to student success supports college and career advising, academic coaching, tutoring assistance, and exposure to post-secondary education. Participants are engaged weekly at their target high schools during each school’s lunch block. They also receive monthly programming in the form of academic and career workshops covering topics on STEM, financial literacy, college readiness, life skills, college tours and meetings with admissions staff, service-learning opportunities, and cultural activities.

Participants may also participate in a six-week extensive academic summer program. Participants begin their experience in a one-week commuter experience working in a hybrid three-day on-site, two-day off-site experience. Participants will engage in team building, standardized test prep or ASVAB testing, and the opportunity for service learning. Participants will spend the next four weeks in a residential experience living a simulated college experience. Participants will partake in academic coursework during the morning and early afternoon establishing a foundation for the coursework they will take in the fall. They will then spend the evening in recreational, social, and cultural programming as simulated by Upward Bound Resident Assistants. Students will spend the last week on a cultural enrichment trip touring colleges and participating in a variety of experiences.

HOW TO APPLy

Student Application Form – Only the student applicants fill out this part. It’s better to do it on a computer in one sitting. FORM LINK

Confidential Financial Statement, School Release Form, and Transportation Permission Slip & Liability Release Form – both student and parent have to fill out this form. It’s better to do it on a computer in one sitting. FORM LINK

School Counselor Recommendation Form – to send to school counselors only. FORM LINK

Teacher Recommendation Form – to send to teachers only. FORM LINK