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KIPP Through College

KIPP is a leader in re-envisioning how to support and prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose – college, career, and beyond.

GETTING STUDENTS TO COLLEGE IS JUST ONE PART OF THE PUZZLE. AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, KIPP ADVISORS HELP ALUMNI NAVIGATE THE ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND FINANCIAL CHALLENGES THEY MIGHT ENCOUNTER WHILE IN COLLEGE OR PURSUING A CAREER.

In addition to great schools, KIPP Jacksonville is supported by a college access and retention program:

KIPP Through College

WHY THE KTC PROGRAM MATTERS

Every child deserves an excellent education and the opportunity to graduate from college and enter a rewarding career. Unfortunately, youth from underserved communities often face a different reality. Across the U.S., less than 10% of students from low-income families earn college degrees.

KIPP’s mission has always been focused on preparing students to lead choice-filled lives. While we know that a college degree is the clearest path to a life of opportunity and choice, we also know some students pursue different paths to fulfilling careers.

KIPP Through College supports KIPP Jacksonville students and alumni in developing the tools and knowledge needed to attain a college degree. Through academic and extracurricular programs, advisors help students expand their knowledge of career options – and the steps needed to pursue the career of their choice. The KTC team works in conjunction with partners in local high schools to ensure that all KIPP Jacksonville alumni have the access, skills, and resources necessary to navigate to and through college into self-sufficient adulthood.

KIPP’s current national college completion rate for all of our alumni is 36 percent. This is comparable for the national average for all students, and approximately 3x the national average for students from low-income families (12%).

HOW KIPP THROUGH COLLEGE WORKS

The KTC team works with KIPP Jacksonville alumni until they graduate from college. Once our alumni graduate from high school, KTC continues to support and collaborate with them on their path toward college completion and self-sustaining careers.

One of the keys to student success in college is the right match between student and school. In particular, students who attend schools with high graduation rates for students from similar backgrounds are far more likely to graduate themselves.

Collaboration between K-12 systems and institutions of higher learning is vital for helping students weather the transition to college. At a national level, KIPP partners with more than 95 colleges and universities across the country to learn alongside each other how best to support first-generation college students. Our college partners share our belief that all students will learn and are committed to ensuring first-generation college students persist and graduate.

VIEW COLLEGE PARTNERSHIPS

COLLEGE MATCH IS KEY

Through KTC’s College Match initiative, we are working to make sure that more students attend the schools that will give them the best chance of graduating. KIPP uses the College Match Framework while counseling students and families through the college decision-making process. Students who “match” well are more likely to graduate within 4-6 years. KTC counselors start discussing college match with students at the beginning of junior year of high school, and provide tools and advice to support students all the way through the college application process.

THE KIPP THROUGH COLLEGE EXPERIENCE

Pre-College Opportunities

KTC posts opportunities for students to explore college early and often included pre-college summer programs, college presentations, college trips, college fairs, and more!

Preparing for the Cost of College

College is expensive and it is never too early to start saving and applying for scholarships. KTC works with KIPP schools to support a College Savings initiative and a financial literacy curriculum.

HIGH SCHOOL SUPPORT

KTC advises students on strategies that lead towards graduation and access to multiple pathways (improving GPA, test scores, etc.)

College and Career Counseling

In high school, KTC exposes students to a variety of college and career options. The team helps them build a college wish list and viable post-secondary plan. This includes supporting students and families through the application and financial aid process and helping in determining and matriculating to their best fit option.

Parent and Community Engagement

KTC provides workshops and invites guest speakers to assist parents and caregivers in guiding their students through the college process. In addition to offering these opportunities to alumni, many of them are open to the community at large.

College Persistence

After students graduate from high school, KIPP alumni advisors remain dedicated to helping students earn a degree on the path to a life full of opportunity. Throughout college there are several crucial moments that can put a student at risk of leaving school; conversely, there are some key behaviors that keep a student on the path to graduation. KIPP alumni advisors also help students find a path back to post-secondary education or with training and skills that leads to a full-time job.

KTC RESOURCES