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Project upGRADS

Project UpGrads
Institution
California State University, Fullerton
State
California
Academic Level
Graduate
Issue Area
Access
Website
https://www.fullerton.edu/upgrads/
Key Personnel
Volker Janssen
Program Focus
First Year Support,
Mentoring

Overview

Project upGRADS at California State University, Fullerton aims to improve access to graduate education for Latinx students by increasing enrollment, strengthening persistence, and improving graduation rates. The program supports Latinx students during admissions and their first year of graduate school with faculty mentorship, workshops, fellowships, and professional development. Key goals include increasing Latinx applicants and admissions, enhancing first-year student engagement and persistence, and achieving higher graduation rates through targeted support. Serving Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties, where 46% of residents are Latinx, Project upGRADS addresses the gap in Latinx graduate enrollment, better serving the community and the region.

Program Description

Project upGRADS improves access to graduate school through outreach workshops on admissions and financial aid, tracking and advising Latinx applicants, and providing one-on-one admissions support. One of the offerings is the META summer bridge program to help new BIPOC students acclimate to graduate school, and the Pa’lante fellowship for first-year graduate students, which includes mentoring, networking, scholarships, and professional development. Additionally, this program supports students in completing their theses and projects and trains faculty to effectively mentor students.

Outcome

Project upGRADS aims to increase Latinx graduate school enrollment and persistence through comprehensive support programs, including advising, summer bridge, fellowships, and faculty development. The initiative has demonstrated success in boosting application completion rates, enrollment, GPA, and graduation rates for CSU Fullerton Latinx students. Project upGRADS served 94% Latinx students this past year.

 

  • Admissions Advising

    • Higher Application Rates: From Fall 2021 to Fall 2023, Project upGRADS Latinx advisees completed graduate school applications at rates 9%-13% higher than non-Latinx/non-Black applicants/non-advisees.
    • Enrollment Success: 55% of students attending 2+ graduate school prep workshops enrolled in graduate school, with 68% enrolling at CSUF.

  • META Summer Bridge

    • Improved Persistence and GPA: META workshops address self-efficacy, research, and writing. Fall 2022 cohort data shows Latinx META participants had a higher GPA (3.73 vs. 3.64) and a persistence rate of 94.4% compared to 90.4% in the control group.

  • Pa’lante Fellowship

    • Higher Completion and GPAs: Fellows completed their degrees at higher rates (73.6% vs. 71.3%) and had higher GPAs (3.63 vs. 3.52). Their graduation rates were also higher (78.6% vs. 70.7%).

  • Access, Enrollment, and Graduation

    • Increased Latinx Enrollment: Latinx graduate student enrollment increased from 30.3% in 2020 to 36% in Fall 2023.
    • Higher Graduation Rates: The three-year graduation rate for Latinx students rose to 74.8% for the 2020 cohort, surpassing non-Latinx students at 73.5%.

Learn more about Latino College Completion in California

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