Welcome to the Access College Foundation

The Access College Foundation is a non-profit organization designed to assist students attending the 29 public high schools in the South Hampton Roads area in furthering their education beyond high school.

Founded in 1988 by Frank Batten and Joshua P. Darden, Jr., the program is supported by local foundations, businesses and individuals who believe that every student who graduates from high school should have the opportunity to attend college.

Each year, Access Advisors help more than 10,000 students in South Hampton Roads enroll in college and obtain approximately $20 million in financial aid and scholarship money from federal, state and private sources.  Additionally, through the access “Last Dollar” Scholarship, the Foundation awards more than $300,000 in scholarships for students each year.  These scholarships bridge the gap between the total amount of aid for which a family qualifies and the final cost of attending college.

We fulfill our mission by placing access Advisors in each of the 29 public high schools in South Hampton Roads to help students with every aspect of the college process—from college entrance test registrations, informing them of academic requirements, helping them complete admissions applications, and perhaps most importantly applying for and receiving financial aid and the funding to attend college.