NEW YORK STATE -- A couple of local colleges were among the 16 upstate schools chosen to receive a share of nearly $7 million from the federal government.

The Department of Education released the funds as part of the Upward Bound Program, which is designed to provide academic and moral support to first generation and at-risk students.

Schools to receive the funding include Binghamton and Cornell Universities.

BU is actually getting one of the biggest chunks of the money, with more than $700,000.

The money is to be used by schools to fund tutoring, mentoring and financial planning, including scholarships and loan forgiveness.