CPS Strong is our commitment to provide support for any student in the Cincinnati Public School district who wants to pursue a degree at UC.
As the largest university in Cincinnati with a great footprint in our community, we have a responsibility to support the work that’s happening in our city by ensuring access to quality education for all populations, including low-income and first-generation college students.
Our city is only as strong as our public school system. CPS Strong works to establish an institution-wide model to engage and empower Cincinnati Public School students. By aligning programs and services to ensure readiness, create access, and foster success, we can achieve educational transformation and positively impact the future of our university and our city.
Through partnerships and collaboration, our goal is to ensure college readiness, create access, and foster success for CPS students attending UC.
CPS Strong puts the student and their family at the center of everything we do. Our mission aligns with that of the Cincinnati Public School system by focusing on providing support for the whole student. As a CPS student, we want to make sure you know about available resources to help you prepare for, enroll in, and graduate college.
From middle school through high school, different mentorship programs, such as Bearcat Buddies, Breakthrough Cincinnati, and Bearcats Academy, can help you discover and develop your academic interests.
As a high school student, you will have many opportunities to get a head start on college by taking college-level coursework at UC through programs such as Launch UC and College Credit Plus. Innovative programming like the College Innovation Pathway even offers you the option to complete an associate’s degree while in high school. This will open the doors to better paying jobs or let you transition to a bachelor’s degree program and finish faster – saving you both time and money.
Consistent with our mission, we also focus on other barriers to student success, such as homelessness and mental health. CPS’s Project Connect serves students experiencing homelessness by connecting them and their families with the community resources they need.
And finally, to make college more accessible, UC applies a holistic approach in its application review process, which means we look at more than just your grades and test scores. Looking at the whole student gives applicants who historically have been excluded from college the opportunity to pursue a degree.
With the increasing cost of tuition across the country, UC is committed to making college as affordable as possible. By offering different types of financial aid, scholarships, and grants, we work to lower the financial burden of college on students and their families. The Marian Spencer Scholarship Program and the Cincinnati Pride Grant are two programs reserved exclusively for CPS students.
The Marian Spencer Scholarship Program was established in 2021 in honor of UC alum and local civil rights icon, Marian Spencer. Students accepted into the program receive full tuition, housing, and food in addition to study abroad experiences and mentoring opportunities.
The Cincinnati Pride Grant offers additional need-based aid for CPS students applying to UC. This grant will automatically be awarded to eligible students.
CPS students may also be eligible for other financial aid programs, such as the Darwin T. Turner Scholars Program and the Cincinnatus Scholarship. You can find a list of all UC-wide scholarships on UC’s Financial Aid website. Major-specific grants and scholarships are also available, so make sure you check the different UC colleges’ websites for more information.
Speak with UC's Admissions counselor for CPS to learn how you can become a Bearcat or submit a request for more information.
Collaboration and partnerships are the backbone of CPS Strong. Idea-sharing, exploring, and networking are central to the innovation that helps connect CPS schools, UC, and the Cincinnati community.
Here are some of the projects and initiatives that make CPS Strong:
College Readiness
College Access
College Success
College student participation is crucial to CPS Strong’s mission as they work directly with CPS students, serving as role models by offering valuable insights and practical advice based on their own experiences.
College students serve in paid or volunteer roles, often as program ambassadors or mentors. By providing guidance, support, and motivation you can help high school students navigate challenges and achieve their academic and personal goals.
Here are a few opportunities for you to get involved:
This program was designed to remove barriers between local CPS students and students at UC who are interested in building tutoring relationships. Bearcat Buddies primarily work with students in kindergarten through 6th grade. Learn more about Bearcat Buddies
A mentoring opportunity where UC students can engage in supportive relationships with students from three local high schools that revolve around academic mentoring, esteem building, and achievement motivation. Learn more about Bearcats Academy
Breakthrough is a four-year, tuition-free academic enrichment program for high-potential middle school students who are not familiar with college. Learn more about Breakthrough Cincinnati
A collaboration between UC and CPS with a goal to increase college access and knowledge through an intensive curriculum of coaching and support. Learn more about CPS Ambassadors
The region’s K-12, STEM-focused organization that connects partners across education, business, and community sectors on behalf of students and families in the region. Student mentors can get involved in various programming, such as afterschool clubs, demonstration projects, and community convenings. Learn more about the Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative
UCUB’s mission is to provide academic skills and motivation for eligible students to graduate from high school and obtain post-secondary education. Learn more about UC Upward Bound
Our mission is to ensure that Cincinnati Public Schools students succeed and thrive in college by providing the tools, resources, and support through partnership among the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Public Schools, and community agencies.
Our vision is to strengthen Cincinnati, its workforce, and the community by ensuring that Cincinnati Public Schools students have a pathway to success and enrichment through higher education at the University of Cincinnati.
July 27, 2026
UC doctoral student Amota Ataneka spoke with Spectrum News about his educational journey. Ataneka, a native of the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, is one of 35 emerging scholars across the United States to win the National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship.
July 27, 2026
Spectrum News recently dove into how cloning voices with artificial intelligence is making it easier to scam people over the phone. The news outlet spoke with Kimberly Hyun, assistant professor of marketing at UC’s Lindner College of Business, to examine why AI is making it so much easier to trick people.
BEARCATS FOR LIFE
For me, being a Bearcat for Life means staying connected to the university that helped shape my future and investing in the students who will shape its future for years to come.
July 27, 2026
Every summer, UHP Discover has connected undergraduate students in the University Honors Program (UHP) to a unique array of opportunities in original interdisciplinary research. This year, the program celebrates its 10th anniversary.
July 27, 2026
The inaugural Ultra-SLP Conference brought together clinicians and researchers from across the country to advance the practice of using ultrasound technology to treat disorders of speech and swallowing.
July 24, 2026
It’s easy to dismiss changes in hearing as minor. But as The Washington Post recently reported, these symptoms could also signal a medical emergency that many people don’t recognize — known as sudden sensorineural hearing loss, a rapid decline in hearing that occurs suddenly or over a few days.
July 24, 2026
Hamilton County Public Health reports confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis, as concerns persist. Cyclospora is a parasite that can cause a stomach illness lasting days — sometimes even weeks. University of Cincinnati medical experts say it is usually linked to contaminated water or food, often fresh produce.
July 24, 2026
Despite major advances in contraception during the past several decades, responsibility for pregnancy prevention falls largely on women. As recently reported in Endocrinology Advisor, a new generation of male contraceptive candidates is advancing into early- and mid-stage clinical trials.
July 24, 2026
Jack Davis, UC's Carl W. Blegen Professor of Greek Archaeology, spoke to the Chronicle of Higher Education about the Christopher Nolan-directed move "The Odyssey," which had the biggest box office showing of any live-action movie this year..
July 23, 2026
Nurses spot what others miss. They notice gaps in care, recurring patient questions, and inefficiencies baked into the system, but most never think to turn those observations into something they can build University of Cincinnati College of Nursing alumna Nicole Homan, MSN, APRN, WHNP-BC, did. Through years in maternal newborn care and women's health, Homan kept meeting women who wanted more than a routine office visit could give them.
