Columbus Urban League's Achievement Matters College Access Program |
I KNOW I CAN - Columbus Public School District
Listed above are the access programs in Franklin County. Please choose one of the links to learn more.
The Franklin County Access Programs are also GEAR UP Lighthouse sites. GEAR UP Ohio envisions every student, regardless of his or her parents’ wealth, ethnic background or geographic location, graduating from high school with the knowledge and skills he or she needs to succeed in college and the workplace—and it sees a future in which fewer students need remediation during their first year of postsecondary education. For more information, please visit http://www.regents.state.oh.us/gearup/index.html
Columbus Urban League's Achievement Matters College Access Program
Visit our website at www.cul.org
Mission Statement
The Columbus Urban League’s Achievement Matters College Access Program is dedicated to providing college entrance and success to low-income and minority students. The program offers middle and high school students information, mentoring and academic support to master the knowledge needed to enter and complete postsecondary education.
Program Overview
The overall goal of the Columbus Urban League’s Achievement Matters College Access Program is commensurate with the purposes of the Pathways to College project, which is a consortium of 19 organizations and associations (including the National Urban League) focused on improving the participation and success of under-represented groups in higher education.
Ultimately, the Achievement Matters College Access Program will help to increase the number of economically disadvantaged persons in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio who have access to and are admitted to postsecondary educational institutions. The target population is defined as economically disadvantaged persons age 8 years or older, to include low-income (150% of federal poverty level or less), African-American, Hispanic, new Americans and persons with limited English proficiency residing in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio.
Program Goals and Objectives
The Achievement Matters College Access Program plans to
- Make students aware of the benefits of post-secondary education.
- Prepare students with the skills necessary for post-secondary education course work.
- Assist students in the college selection process.
For more information on Achievement Matters College Access Program, contact:
Mr. Eddie Harrell Jr.
Director
Education & Youth Services
Achievement Matters College Access Program
Columbus Urban League, Inc.
788 Mount Vernon Avenue
Columbus, OH 43203-1408
Phone: (614) 257-6300 Ext.309
Fax: (614) 257-6327
E-mail: eharrell@cul.org
Web site: www.cul.org
I KNOW I CAN - Columbus Public School District
Visit our website at www.iknowican.org.
With the creation of I KNOW I CAN in January 1988, Columbus was at the forefront of communities in realizing that continued prosperity depends upon students pursuing higher education. I KNOW I CAN has one focused goal: to assure every qualified Columbus Public School graduate the opportunity to go to college.
I KNOW I CAN is one of the largest and most successful college access programs nationwide and the only one in Columbus. It serves an area of critical need in our community. Through college admissions and financial aid advising, need-based grants, and retention programming, I KNOW I CAN reaches out to Columbus Public School students who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to pursue a post-secondary degree.
I KNOW I CAN utilizes the following three-fold approach to achieve its founding goal:
TO ADVISE students and their parents how to apply to college and access financial aid from federal, state and institutional sources; and
TO FUND students with Last Dollar grant assistance and leverage additional financial assistance. (The maximum grant is $1,200, and grants are available for five years.); and
TO RETAIN students once in college with support services to help ensure degree completion. Using a skeletal staff of 10 and more than 200 professional and technically trained volunteers, I KNOW I CAN has:
- Served more than 52,000 students through college admissions and financial aid counseling;
- Awarded more than 16,000 Last Dollar grants, totaling over $16 million (these grants are in addition to federal, state and institutional aid, family contributions, student earnings, college work study, and/or student loans);
- Accessed more than $227 million for students from other financial aid sources;
- Leveraged an average of $14 for every dollar it invests;
- Helped more than 2,300 of its grant recipients graduate from college or a post-secondary institution; and
- Built an endowment fund that is housed at The Columbus Foundation. The interest from the fund will solely be used to provide Last Dollar Grants to generations of Columbus Public School graduates, sustaining the I KNOW I CAN program for many years to come.
For more information on I KNOW I CAN, contact:
Ms. Katina Fullen Executive Director
I KNOW I CAN
603 East Town Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 233-9510 x 120
kfullen@iknowican.org
College Access Program Map