What We Do

On Point for College, Inc., is dedicated to making higher education accessible to low-income youths who have the desire and the will to continue their education, but who feel college is out of reach due to economic, academic and other barriers.

Because income and parental educational levels strongly influence the decision to attend college, On Point for College generally targets:

• Teens who are the first in their families to go to college (98 percent of our students)
• Teens from single-parent homes
• Low-income students who assume that college is financially inaccessible
• Students who fall through the cracks in terms of traditional high school guidance services

How We Do It

It's not just "fill out a form and take our pamphlet."

• We begin with One-on-one counseling - choosing a college, financial aid, and college applications
• We take students on College Visits
• We connect them with Mentors
• We help with clothing, bedding, backpacks and college supplies
• We offer Transportation to college
• We provide an Orientation workshop before the first day of college.
• To help bridge the intimidating gap between financial aid and college costs, we offer students “last dollar” grants for expenses such as enrollment deposits, textbooks, fees, housing etc. Since 1999, more than 1,242 “last dollar” grants, totaling more than $168,372, have helped On Point for College students get to college or stay in college.
• We follow up with Advocacy and support for students on college campuses (i.e. financial aid, diversity issues, tutoring services, getting along with roommates, etc.)
• We offer Transportation to and from college on vacations

Our Impact

On Point for College was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization in August, 1999, with one employee and no funding.  The repercussions of the eight years since will change the course of life for generations to come.  As of March, 2007:

• 1,710 students were actively involved with On Point for College, more than 1,070 were enrolled in 140 colleges and universities, and 125 had earned college degrees.
• A total of 2,040 young adults, age 17-25 had received one-on-one admission counseling from the On Point for College staff. An additional 160 volunteers support the program on all levels, from mentoring to transportation to fundraising.
• More than 84 percent of On Point for College students remain in college from their freshman to sophomore years. This is well above the national average retention rate of 75 percent – and a phenomenal achievement for an at-risk student population.
• More than 85 percent of all funds raised go directly to student services.
• For every dollar in aid awarded to its students, On Point for College leverages an additional $33 in aid from federal, state and private sources.

And now we're up to four full-time positions.