A rigorous academic program is the single most important factor in being accepted by and succeeding in college. Urban Assembly schools help students develop the higher-order thinking and writing skills that college demands. We make sure our courses match college admissions requirements and meet or exceed New York State graduation standards. Working closely with principals and teachers to improve classroom instruction and student performance, the Urban Assembly draws on the research, best practices, and other resources of organizations and individuals recognized nationally for their expertise in education. Students at Urban Assembly schools soon begin learning about college and visiting campuses, participating in a carefully designed sequence of activities that impresses on them the accessibility and importance of a college education. Ninth- and tenth-graders visit CUNY and SUNY campuses as well as private colleges such as Wesleyan, Amherst, Harvard, Columbia, Union, Princeton, Brown, and Howard. College admissions officers conduct a range of workshops at our schools that are targeted to students in different grades and to their parents, offering information and advice about every aspect of the admissions process. The Urban Assembly has initiated a college planning and advising program based on research, the experience of successful New York City public school college advisers, and the programs of two outstanding private high schools, Horace Mann and Collegiate. We train the principal, teachers, and college advisers at each school to ensure that every student understands and follows the college preparation and admissions process, and to introduce and promote their school to college admissions officers. We also cultivate relationships with colleges and universities where New York City public school students have thrived, and help our schools identify and forge connections with universities and colleges that best match the needs and interests of Urban Assembly students.