College application season is coming up, but it’s not accessible to all Philly students. Luckily, there are lots of local organizations dedicated to helping students apply to and finance higher education.
This program helps middle school students in core subjects and electives, provides mentorship, and assists in the high school application process. Once in high school, program alumni can access additional support when searching and applying for colleges.
Longtime Philly education organizations Philadelphia Futures and Steppingstone Scholars merged in 2022 to form Heights Philadelphia. It still embodies the mission of helping first-generation and low-income students access college. Participants can access ACT and SAT tutoring, college trips, dual enrollment, and paid internships. The nonprofit also administers the Ellis Trust for Girls which provides tuition assistance among other resources for Philly-area high school girls.
This fund provides financial assistance to Philly students through its Philadelphia Scholars program, awarding $650,000 in aid annually. Its Fostering College Readiness program is a new initiative supporting foster youth through college.
An online platform through the Philadelphia Education Fund, PhillyGoes2College compiles college application deadlines, posts scholarship opportunities, hosts a directory of college prep programs, and has guides for students.
Upward Bound
Upward Bound is a federal program with resources for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to help motivate and prepare them for college. There are a few local colleges and universities that host Upward Bound programs.
- Temple University has two programs, Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math & Science. The former has a civic engagement angle and is open to students interested in any major while the latter is geared toward STEM programming.
- University of Pennsylvania’s Upward Bound program supports students from Sayre, Overbrook, West Philadelphia, and Parkway West high schools.
- Community College of Philadelphia’s TRIO Upward Bound accepts students from Benjamin Franklin, Building 21, Furness, and South Philadelphia high schools.
- Harcum College’s TRIO programs serve students from John Bartram, Sayre, and Simon Fels high schools.
