College Access Teams

Support first-gen students
with a system that scales.

TRIO, GEAR UP, and college access programs have the mission. Most are missing the documented infrastructure to make mentorship consistent, trackable, and replicable year over year.

Who It's For

Built for the teams
closing the college gap.

🎓

TRIO & GEAR UP Advisors

You're serving low-income, first-generation students and need mentorship documentation that aligns with federal program requirements and performance metrics.

🤝

Near-Peer Program Coordinators

You're running college students as mentors to high schoolers. Get a training guide, matching process, and check-in structure that makes near-peer relationships productive from day one.

🏫

College Access Nonprofit Staff

You're supporting students from application through enrollment. The kit covers the full arc — early outreach, mentorship structure, and persistence support into the first year of college.

📋

Program Directors & Funders

You need a program structure you can document, replicate, and report on. Our kits include built-in outcome tracking that makes funder reporting straightforward.

What's Included

Everything you need.
Nothing you don't.

Documents covering the full program lifecycle — recruitment, matching, ongoing support, and outcome tracking. Pre-written so you customize, not create from scratch.

01

Program Foundation

  • Program overview & advisor guide
  • Near-peer mentor training handbook
  • Participant roles & expectations guide
02

Recruitment & Matching

  • Student intake & interest survey
  • Mentor application & screening form
  • Match criteria and pairing worksheet
03

Communication Templates

  • Welcome letters (mentor & student versions)
  • Parent/guardian permission letter
  • Program kickoff & orientation agenda
04

Tracking & Reporting

  • Monthly check-in guide & SMART goals worksheet
  • Mid-program & end-of-year survey
  • Outcome summary template for funder reporting
What You Can Expect

Students supported.
Programs that survive turnover.

College access is hard enough without also managing an undocumented mentorship program. This kit gives your team the structure to run it well — and hand it off without losing anything.

First-gen students paired with mentors who understand their specific path to college
Documented outcomes that satisfy grant and funder reporting requirements
A replicable system that survives coordinator transitions year over year
Near-peer mentors who are trained, structured, and supported — not just assigned
Buy This Kit — $197 →
The Research

What mentorship produces
for first-gen students.

The case for structured mentorship in college access is backed by decades of evidence — and the programs that do it well have documented, replicable systems.

1.94×
More likely to persist in college — near-peer mentoring participants vs. comparison group (CUNY study)
Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring →
3.5%
Higher college persistence rate for students who received college access coaching through first year vs. peers who didn't
The Role of Mentoring in College Access & Success →
80%
Of TRIO Talent Search participants enrolled in postsecondary institutions immediately following high school
Council for Opportunity in Education →
86%
Of Upward Bound students enrolled in college immediately after high school graduation (Dept. of Education data)
Council for Opportunity in Education →
817K
Students currently served by TRIO programs across more than 3,500 active programs nationwide
Council for Opportunity in Education →
2.09×
More likely to persist in college for Black and Latinx near-peer mentoring participants specifically
Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring →

College access programs are already doing the right work. What separates the ones with strong outcomes is documentation — a repeatable system that doesn't depend on one person's knowledge or energy.

Go Faster

Add a Pro
Implementation Call

If you're working within TRIO or GEAR UP requirements, navigating a specific student population, or launching quickly for a grant deadline — add a 60–90 minute working session.

We'll customize your key documents, map your launch timeline, and help you set up outcome tracking that fits your reporting requirements.

Book an Implementation Call — $497
College access working session

Ready to build
your program?

Browse the full kit or reach out — we'll help you figure out the right setup for your team and your students.