Mission

College Beyond helps New Orleans youth enroll and succeed in college.

Vision

We envision a city that delivers on the promise of its public K-12 system by supporting 80% of its students to degree attainment.

We are guided by the belief that a 9% college graduation rate among low-income youth in America is unacceptable.

History

Beginning in 2012, College Beyond (formerly College Bridge New Orleans) was incubated as an initiative of New Orleans College Preparatory Academies (NOCP), and incorporated as an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 2015.

With strong early results during the NOCP pilot, College Beyond designed programming to help students when they need it most — during the 18-month transition between high school graduation and sophomore year re-enrollment in college. This is when a majority of students drop out of the college pipeline.

Today, we partner directly with universities to provide coaching and financial support to freshman Pell recipients from the Greater New Orleans area, helping universities improve retention rates and helping students and families find college success. Learn more in What We Do.

Values

We believe that how we meet this challenge matters.

At College Beyond, we strive to live out the following values:

Courage

We seek possibility and confront fears to grow and overcome obstacles.

Mutuality

We are inclusive. We are better with all voices at the table. Student agency matters.

Excellence

We set and achieve ambitious goals with integrity.

Caring

We support each others’ well-being. We talk about hard things honestly and with love. We create welcoming relationships and spaces.

Responsibility

We face reality and own our actions. We are accountable to ourselves and our community.