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Seeing Higher

The Challenge

Research has shown that one of the biggest obstacles for low-income students applying to a selective college is the college campus visit.

At Seeing Higher, we hope to change that.

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79%
of students reported that they were more likely to apply to the college they visited with Seeing Higher funds
(excluding students who had applied before the visit)
COVID-19:

We are excited to announce the relaunch of in-person college visits beginning in January 2022! Please consider donating now to support these efforts.

What It Takes to Fund a Trip

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School Bus

Transportation

$1 or more / mile

Often adds up to $200+ for a rural high school visiting a distant college

72%
of students on Seeing High visits would be
first-generation college students
(as reported in the post-visit survey)

Who We Are

Seeing Higher was founded in 2018 with a mission to make college visits more accessible, particularly for students from low-income, rural, or first-generation backgrounds.

We recognize that a college visit is one of the most influential parts of the college process and that no student should be expected to make a college decision without having the opportunity to visit a campus.


Our hope is that students who participate in these college visits will gain additional knowledge about college opportunities and make more informed decisions about their future paths, including but not limited to college.

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What We Do

We provide funds to college advisers to cover the direct costs of a field trip, including transportation, meals, substitute teacher fees, activities, and accommodations. We currently partner with the Duke College Advising Corps to support 16 college advisers serving low-income high schools in eight North Carolina counties:

Caswell, Durham, Johnston, Lee, Orange, Person, Sampson, and Wake.

Our typical grant range is $250 - $500. We specifically encourage:

1. Bringing more students on a college visit

2. Visiting a more distant college 

3. Bringing younger students (9th and 10th grade)

4. Innovative and unique visits

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April 2019

Bartlett Yancey High School visit to UNC Charlotte and Johnson C Smith

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November 2019

Smithfield-Selma High School Students visit UNC Charlotte

285 
students have completed a 
Seeing Higher visit since 2018
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Adviser Feedback

"Seeing Higher allowed me to plan a trip I would have really struggled to otherwise pull together. The ability to take students on a trip to further colleges and visit multiple campuses in one day is not usually an option, with gas for a bus adding up fast at $2/mile. Thankfully, Seeing Higher allowed me to make this happen. Their funding allowed me to bring 25 juniors and seniors on a full day field trip to experience two different campuses - Campbell University and Fayetteville State University. The vast majority of the students attending were first-generation students, who if they had to cover their own costs of lunch and snacks as we typically ask on field trips at my high school, would be unable to attend. Most of the students who went on the trip had never seen a college campus before, especially not one over an hour from Orange County. Several of my students had applied to the colleges we visited and were so excited for the opportunity to see the campuses they may one day attend - one of my students even received a $500 scholarship from Campbell simply for going on the field trip and visiting campus that day!  Seeing Higher provided my students with an amazing opportunity and opened their eyes to the excitement of college, and I cannot wait to plan another trip so even more students can see the benefits of higher education."

Grace, Orange High School College Adviser

What's Next

We need your help. 

Our immediate goals are to support our existing advisers and facilitate future college visits. To do so, we need your help raising awareness and funds so these students can attend college visits.

 

Over the next two years, we are expanding our network. If you or someone is interested in organizing a college visit with the help of Seeing Higher, please contact us. 

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