Our History
Started as ACCESS in 1985 to provide financial advising to Boston's college-bound students, uAspire has since evolved into the leading national service provider and voice on the issue of college affordability.
Over the years, we have leveraged our expertise to significantly increase rates of college enrollment and persistence. In 2022, our programs and policy projects impacted 540,000 students nationwide. We now have a team of over 65 full-time staff in California, Massachusetts, and New York.
Milestones from the last decade:
- 2010 — Integrated text advising to support students right on their phones, for a fraction of the cost of in-person advising
- 2011-2016 — Expanded our geographic reach in Massachusetts beyond Boston to Lawrence, Fall River, Cambridge, Somerville, and Malden
- 2012 — Changed our name to uAspire to reflect college access and completion as our ultimate goal
- 2013 — Launched College Affordability Training for school counselors and college access providers across the country who help countless students year after year
- 2014 — Expanded to the Bay Area where we advise students in San Francisco, Oakland, and Hayward, and through programs run by the University of California
- 2014 — Launched our Succeed Program to address the increasing number of college students who drop out for financial reasons
- 2013-2018 — Completed or engaged in six external evaluations to assess the true impact of our work and improve our programming
- 2017 — Introduced our Policy and Systems Change team to influence education leaders and policymakers to advance student-centered policies that improve degree completion
- 2018 — Expanded to New York City to support more students