Upward Bound: Helping Disadvantaged Students Attend and Succeed in College

Upward Bound is one of the largest and longest-running federal programs designed to help disadvantaged students prepare for, enter, and succeed in college. In 1991, the U.S. Department of Education launched the National Evaluation of Upward Bound. Conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., the evaluation included an implementation study and a longitudinal impact study. The impact study was based on a random assignment design implemented in a nationally representative sample of 67 Upward Bound projects hosted by two- and four-year colleges and universities. From 1992 to 1994, eligible applicants to these projects were enrolled in the study. About 1,500 students were randomly assigned to the evaluation’s treatment group and allowed to participate in Upward Bound, and about 1,300 students were randomly assigned to the control group. 

The Impacts of Regular Upward Bound on Postsecondary Outcomes 7-9 Years After Scheduled High School Graduation is the last in a series of reports from the evaluation. This report analyzes data from the final round of survey and transcript data collection as well as administrative records from the National Student Clearinghouse and the federal Student Financial Aid files. It provides the national evaluation’s first estimates of the effects of Upward Bound on postsecondary completion. The report also updates previous estimates of the program’s effects on postsecondary enrollment and receipt of financial aid.

Except for a statistically significant increase in the likelihood of earning a postsecondary certificate or license from a vocational school, the report finds that Upward Bound did not have detectable effects on postsecondary outcomes, including enrollment, financial aid application or receipt, or the completion of bachelor’s or associate’s degrees. In addition to these results, the report includes the findings from extensive subgroup and sensitivity analyses.

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