COLLEGE ACCESS

Since 1996, BLU Educational Foundation has worked with communities and schools to address the challenging national problem of low college attendance among students with limited income and opportunities.

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COLLEGE EXODUS PROJECT

The mission of the College Exodus Project (CEP) is to assist students in obtaining undergraduate or graduate degrees from accredited colleges and universities, with the intent that they contribute to the Inland Empire economy through entrepreneurship, employment, and/or volunteer service.

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COLLEGE ADVISING

CEP SCHOLARS PROGRAM

The College Exodus Project Scholars program (CEP Scholars) is BLU Educational Foundation's cornerstone college & career access program. In addition to individualized college advising support, students in the CEP Scholars program receive individualized career advising from one of our staff advisors. The best part? The CEP Scholars program is free to all participants. To join the scholars program visit our college advising help link.

CEP SCHOLAR BENEFITS

College Exodus Project T-Shirt
Full Access Advising (school, home, virtual)
Special Events
College Visits & Field Trips
Access to ALL College Prep/Boot Camps and Clinics
Assigned a College Advisor
1 School/Home visit per semester
Monthly Check-Ins with College Advisor
Monthly leadership workshops
HBCU Common Application Fee (or $20 toward any college application)
Exclusive Scholarship Opportunities
Exodus Awards Ceremony

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ENRICHMENT

RETENTION

FINANCIAL AID

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ENRICHMENT

CEP ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

In addition to individualized college & career advising, the College Exodus Project program offers various enrichment activities throughout the school year including monthly workshops at our partner schools and every third Saturday of the month, at least 2 college tours per year, various field trips, and fun CEP meet ups around the Inland Empire.

Workshops

CEP Third Saturday Meetings: Held every third Saturday of the month at San Bernardino Valley College, these workshops cover leadership development, culture, & college/career access programming.
In-School Leadership Workshops: Held at our partner high schools 1-2 times per month, these workshops are an extension of the leadership programming offered at our Third Saturday Meetings. Topics covered include: public speaking, time management, collaboration, advocacy and more!

Sydney, Isabella, & Serenity participate in a cultural activity during a Third Saturday Meeting

College Tours

Local College Tours: These one day trips offer students an opportunity to discover colleges in the Inland Empire and surrounding counties in Southern California. Trips have included CSU Dominguez Hills, CSU San Marcos, and CSU San Bernardino among others.
Overnight College Tours: In addition to our local college tours, BLU aims to take students on at least one overnight college tour per year. In Spring 2024, College Exodus Project Scholars took a trip to Northern California and visited CSU East Bay, Sacramento State, San Francisco State, & Sonoma State

Members of the College Exodus Project stop for a visit at Cal State East Bay during an all-expense paid college tour trip of 4 Northern California campuses.

Field Trips

Arts Field Trips: As a part of our arts program, CEP students are able to participate in various arts programs around the region. In the past, students have participated in outings to The Broad Museum, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Hip Hop 'Til Infinity Exhibit, and the Black Boy Art Show, to name a few.
CEP Meet Ups: These activities offer CEP students an opportunity to hang out and build community around the Inland Empire whether it be bowling, the movies, or other community events.
Public Lands Field Trips: As part of BLU's civic engagement work around public lands, we take students on field trips around the region through our Let's Take it Outside initiative.

College Exodus Project students visit the Mission Inn Festival of Lights in Riverside as a part of one of the many enrichment field trips taken over winter break.

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RETENTION

FINANCIAL AID

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RETENTION

CONTINUED CASE-MANAGEMENT

Students who join our College Exodus Project Scholar Program continue to be advised throughout their college journey as members of our Retention Program. They continue to meet with a BLU Advisor and have access to all the resources BLU has to offer including trips, workshops, and enrichment activities.

Students in our Retention Program were Case-Managed across the state and nation at the following institutions during the 20203-2024 school year:

California

CSU Dominguez Hills
CSU Fullerton
CSU Los Angeles
CSU Long Beach
CSU Northridge
CSU San Bernardino
CSU San Marcos
Sacramento State
San Diego State
San Jose State
UC Berkeley
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UCLA
UC Riverside
California Baptist University
Providence Christian College
Stanford University
University of Redlands
University of San Francisco
University of Southern California

Chaffey College
Crafton Hills College
Mt. SAC
San Bernardino Valley College
Victor Valley College

Nation-Wide

Alabama

Alabama A&M
Alabama State

Arizona

Arizona State
Grand Canyon University

Arkansas

Philander Smith College

Georgia

Clark Atlanta University

Illinois

DePaul University

Louisiana

Grambling State University
Southern University

Maryland

Morgan State University

New Jersey

Elizabeth City-State University

North Carolina

North Carolina A&T

Texas

Texas Southern University
University of North Texas

Washington, D.C.

Howard University

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ENRICHMENT

FINANCIAL AID

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FINANCIAL AID

FINANCIAL AID & SCHOLARSHIPS

BLU understands that applying to and getting into college is only the beginning. We want to make sure you all students in our program have access to the funds needed to pay for their degree, whether that be through a loan, grant, or scholarship.

Federal Student Aid, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the largest provider of student financial aid in the nation.

At the office of Federal Student Aid, more than 1,300 employees help make college education possible for every dedicated mind by providing more than $120 billion in federal grants, loans, and work-study funds each year to more than 13 million students paying for college or career school.

FAFSA APPLICATION

A Cal Grant is money for college you don’t have to pay back.

To qualify, you must apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA) by the deadline and meet the eligibility and financial requirements as well as any minimum GPA requirements.

Cal Grants can be used at any University of California, California State University or California Community College, as well as qualifying independent and career colleges or technical schools in California.

There are three kinds of Cal Grants — A, B and C — but you don’t have to figure out which one to apply for. Your eligibility will be based on your FAFSA or CADAA responses, your verified Cal Grant GPA, the type of California colleges you list on your FAFSA and whether you’re a recent high school graduate.

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COLLEGE ADVISING

RETENTION

ENRICHMENT

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