PROGRAMS
TRIO is a set of federally-funded college opportunity programs that motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds in their pursuit of a college degree. An estimated 790,000 low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities — from sixth grade through college graduation — are served by over 2,800 programs nationally. TRIO programs provide academic tutoring, personal counseling, mentoring, financial guidance, and other supports necessary for educational access and retention. TRIO programs provide direct support services for students, and relevant training for directors and staff.
Where Did TRIO Originate?
The TRIO programs were the first national college access and retention programs to
address the serious social and cultural barriers to education in America. (Previously
only college financing had been on policymakers' radar.) TRIO began as part of President
Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty. The Educational Opportunity Act of 1964 established
an experimental program known as Upward Bound. Then, in 1965, the Higher Education
Act created Talent Search. Finally, another program, Special Services for Disadvantaged
Students (later known as Student Support Services), was launched in 1968. Together,
this “trio” of federally-funded programs encouraged access to higher education for
low-income students. By 1998, the TRIO programs had become a vital pipeline to opportunity,
serving traditional students, displaced workers, and veterans. The original three
programs had grown to nine, adding Educational Opportunity Centers and Veterans Upward
Bound in 1972, Training Program for Federal TRIO programs in 1976, the Ronald E. McNair
Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program in 1986, Upward Bound Math/Science in 1990,
and the TRIO Dissemination Partnership in 1998.
Who Is Served
As mandated by Congress, two-thirds of the students served must come from families
with incomes at 150% or less of the federal poverty level and in which neither parent
graduated from college. More than 2,800 TRIO projects currently serve close to 790,000
low-income Americans. Many programs serve students in grades six through 12. Thirty-five
percent of TRIO students are Whites, 35% are African-Americans, 19% are Hispanics,
4% are Native Americans, 3% are Asian-Americans, and 4% are listed as "Other," including
multiracial students. More than 7,000 students with disabilities and approximately
6,000 U.S. veterans are currently enrolled in the TRIO programs as well.
How It Works
More than 1,000 colleges, universities, community colleges, and agencies now offer
TRIO Programs in America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. TRIO funds are distributed
to institutions through competitive grants.
Additional Information:
Director of Special Programs,Special Programs
114 Ridley University Center
Campus Box 785
Phone: (252)335-3368
Fax: (252)335-3793
E-mail: qjdozier@ecsu.edu
Administrative Support Associate,Special Programs
114 Ridley University Center
Campus Box 785
Phone: (252) 335-3510
Fax: (252) 335-3793
E-mail: jloverton@ecsu.edu