DURHAM, N.H.— The University of New Hampshire received a grant for over $2.8 million from the U.S. Department of Education to ensure the Upward Bound program at UNH continues to provide services to low-income students, who are the first in their family to attend college, living in Manchester and the Seacoast areas.

“Upward Bound's track record for over 50 years has been outstanding; making the dream of attending college a reality for so many Granite State high school students. With this support, even more students can continue on a higher education and lifelong learning path,” said Ken La Valley, vice provost of UNH Outreach and Engagement and director of UNH Extension.

The competitive grant totaling $2,844,340, awarded over five years, will help UNH Upward Bound distribute services at no cost to 114 students attending Farmington, Somersworth, Spaulding, Manchester Central, Memorial, West High Schools and the Manchester School of Technology. Upward Bound’s goal is to help students develop the skills necessary to successfully graduate from high school and go on to college to earn a two or four-year degree within six-years of graduating from high school. During the school year, students in the program receive academic counseling, go on college visits and can participate in Saturday Tutoring Academies. In the summer, they are given the opportunity to experience college life by living on UNH’s Durham campus and taking rigorous college-modeled classes.

“As one of the oldest Upward Bound programs in the nation, UNH Upward Bound provides critical resources to help low-income, first-generation students graduate and earn college degrees,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I’m glad this funding was awarded to help over 100 students across New Hampshire access meaningful programs like counseling, tutoring, college visits and more. I appreciate UNH Upward Bound’s work to reduce academic disparities and help Granite Staters succeed, and I’ll continue to advocate for the resources they need.”

UNH Upward Bound is a year-round program consisting of a nine-month Academic Year Component and a six-week residential Summer Academy. Upward Bound was first funded in 1966 and is one of the four federally-funded TRIO programs at the university.

The University of New Hampshire inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top-ranked programs in business, engineering, law, health and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. A Carnegie Classification R1 institution, UNH partners with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, and received $260 million in competitive external funding in FY21 to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea and space.