Our Story

Today’s students are adult learners, military veterans, parents, and first generation college students. They are likely to attend school part-time while working. Many live at or below the federal poverty line, take courses online, and use school as a means to re-skill or change careers.

Upswing’s mission is simple: give all students the access and resources they need to help them graduate. Whether at an HBCU, HSI, community college, or 4-year college, ensuring that every student feels supported throughout college is at the core of what we do.

3.5M
Students have had access to Upswing since 2013
125+
Institutions have partnered with us
1.85%
The additional retention that we generate for each college
65k+
Additional students have stayed in college because of our work

Our Impact at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

Improving equity and access to support services in college
Overview

HBCUs are seeing some of the highest growth rates among all colleges. However, the college completion rate for Black students is 24.5 percentage points lower than White students.

Student Support

Upswing has partnered with 16 HBCUs, giving almost 200,000 students at thoes institutions access to free, online student support. For students balancing work, personal life, and education, this really makes a difference.

Impact

By designing our services to help address the issues that Black students commonly face, we've been able to help HBCUs retain an additional 3,500 students who otherwise would have dropped out.

HBCU Student Spotlight
Meet Tre'Von!

Hi my name is Tre’Von, and I am a 21-year-old student from Fayetteville, NC. I attend North Carolina A&T State University where I am majoring in Social Work. My ultimate goal upon graduation is to become a teen therapist.

The Challenge

When I first arrived for college, the sheer number of things I realized I had to juggle were jaw dropping. College classes came full speed and band practice came full speed. Fortunately, most of professors who I confided in for help let me know that they would work with me. But I knew that the only way for me to survive college was to get better with my study skills. The workshops at my college really helped me to balance being a student athlete. Another resource that worked well for me were the Mental Health resources on campus. My college had an on campus mental wellness center, and also scheduled five mental health days throughout Covid that would allow us to just destress a bit.

Tre'Von's Story

Upswing helped me balance my time management because when my practices would end – sometimes around midnight or 1am – I could still open my computer or laptop and log onto Upswing and find someone who could help me complete my coursework.

Our Impact at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs)

We connect students at HSIs to the resources they need to stay in school and graduate
Overview

Despite Hispanic student enrollment being at an all-time high (source), the completion rate for Latinx students is 18.1 percentage points lower than White students (source). One potential cause of this lower completion rate is that Latinx students are more likely to need to work to support their family. Seventy-one percent of Latinos reported this as the reason they did not receive a four-year degree (source).

Student Support

Upswing's platform is designed to assist working students by offering 24/7 access to tutoring, assignment review, and mental health support that can be accessed from anywhere. Through partnerships with 29 HSIs, Upswing has provided over 1.2 million students at these partner schools with a modern student services experience.

Impact

Our platform plays a crucial role in helping Latinx students overcome obstacles to persistence and graduation. Through our support, HSIs have successfully retained over 22k students who would have otherwise dropped out.

Student Spotlight
Overview

Meet Brandi! She's a parent and a military spouse, Brandi sought to complete her education using a program with a lot of flexibility.

Problem

“If you’re an online student or even a non-traditional student, it’s harder to keep your grades up for multiple reasons. You can’t drop by the professor’s office after class if you need a little clarification and you can’t make an appointment at the tutoring lab during lunch to go over a subject. Having Upswing has helped me keep my grades up.”

Story

“I’m my own best advocate when it comes to making sure I get everything I need to make sure I can graduate... I think the best thing my school has done to help me successfully graduate is Upswing. Honestly. You can log on any time of the night and receive immediate help on any assignment you might be stuck on, and the tutors are very professional and help you thoroughly understand the assignment at hand. I’ve had a few instructors not respond for the entire semester and luckily for me, I had Upswing. After a certain period of waiting for a response from the instructor, I would log on to Upswing and get help with the assignment.”

Our Impact at Community Colleges

We provide comprehensive supports to community college students
Overview

Community college students encounter unique challenges, including the difficulty of juggling college alongside work or family commitments (source). Consequently, completion rates for community college students tend to be lower compared to students at four-year institutions. In public, two-year institutions, only 43.1% of students earn a degree or certificate within six years, in contrast to 63.1% at four-year institutions (source).

Student Support

Upswing's wraparound services offer flexibility that enables community college students to access support services while effectively managing their work, school, and personal obligations. We’ve partnered with 58 two-year institutions and given more than 1.3 million community college students access to the platform.

Impact

Our student engagement platform has a positive impact on community college students by providing comprehensive support and resources that enhance their academic success, personal development, and overall well-being. We’ve worked with community colleges to prevent more than 24k students from dropping out.

Community College Student Spotlight
Meet Thaddeus!

My name is Thaddeus, and I am a military veteran and student at Central Carolina Community College in Sanford, North Carolina pursuing a major in Business Administration. I’m undecided what I will do next after I graduate but I am considering attending Fayetteville State University to obtain a Bachelor's Degree.

The Problem

When I first started college, I was having a hard time connecting. My preference is to be an on-campus student, as it is much easier for me to focus on what needs to be done. However, throughout Covid and beyond, most of my classes became online classes, making it a bit more challenging for me.

Mental health was another challenge, and is something that is commonly overlooked in students. As a military veteran, I experienced challenges my mental health, but I was ashamed to speak with anyone about it, so instead I tried to manage it myself. But being a college student and taking college courses surfaces many of those mental health challenges that you try to hide. When I finally discovered resources to get help myself, I recognized I was able to not only manage student life more easily but other aspects of my life as well.

Story

My instructors fortunately were able to help me identify places where I can receive support on and off-campus. Some resources I accessed were the college’s Writing Lab, as well as their Business Department. But what helped me the most was Upswing. Through Upswing, I can schedule a session with a tutor for a date and time that works around my busy schedule. And when the session time arrives, I can just grab my pencil and paper and get started.

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