TRIO Veterans Upward Bound

Veterans Upward Bound provides eligible veterans and active duty service members the necessary help and tools to enter a program of post-secondary education. The program also provides veterans who do not have a high school diploma, an opportunity to prepare for the General Educational Development test (GED).

All veteran participants receive refresher training through a core curriculum of subjects that prepare them for college-level course material. Participants are also informed of various support services on many college campuses. Upon successful completion of the VUB program, the veteran participants are not only familiar with services and resources available to them as students but more importantly, they possess a renewed confidence in their academic abilities.

The Owens Community College VUB project is dedicated to the success of veterans in Northwest Ohio/Southwest Michigan through the enrollment and completion of a program of post-secondary education. Our mission is to provide veterans with the necessary tools and skills for success because for Veterans Upward Bound, the success of our veterans is the only mission that matters.

In the thick of the Civil Rights Movement, ongoing conflict in Vietnam and historically high levels of poverty, the Lyndon B. Johnson administration set in motion social reforms designed to halt the spread of poverty in America as part of his "Great Society." The War on Poverty focused on key contributing causes to poverty, one of which is education. The Higher Education Act of 1965 created the US Department of Education's TRIO programs to help historically disadvantaged and underrepresented youths have access to higher education. TRIO eventually expanded its services to include adult learners and non-traditional student populations including veterans.

Veterans Upward Bound was created in 1972 as a priority project to meet the academic needs of veterans returning from the Vietnam War. Today, more than 65 projects are in operation providing program services to nearly 8,500 veterans every year from every war era, and peacetime era since the early 1950s (Korea, Viet Nam, Persian Gulf, OIF-OEF, etc).

To participate and receive services, U.S. Military veterans (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force or Coast Guard) must meet the following criteria:

• Have low/limited income background and/or be considered a first-generation college-bound student (i.e. neither parent or guardian has earned a bachelor’s degree).
• Have yet to earn a bachelor’s degree.
• Served on active duty for more than 180 consecutive days.
• As reservists, served on active duty for more than 30 consecutive days or called to active duty on/after September 11, 2001.
• Discharge status is anything other than dishonorable.
• Have a need for academic support

• Education counseling services and academic advising in preparation for enrolling in a college
• Assistance in preparing for and completing college entrance exams
• Career exploration
• Help with “How to afford college”
• Assistance with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and information on federal and state student financial aid programs and benefits
• Applying for the VA GI-Bill® and VA Vocational Rehabilitation program
• Assessment of your math, reading and writing skills
  • Tutoring services in math and English
• Evaluation of your military transcript (you may receive college credits from your military service)
• Improving your study skills & time management
• Computer skills training
• Referrals to regional veteran service providers (VA health clinics, Vocational Rehabilitation, veteran employment, veteran associations)
• Assistance in General Education Development (GED) completion
• Cultural and educational field trips