Navigating the TRIO Student Support Services: A Comprehensive Guide to Application Requirements

The TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program is a vital initiative aimed at providing academic and other support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. These programs offer academic tutoring, personal counseling, mentoring, financial guidance, and other supports necessary for educational access and retention. Understanding the application requirements is the first step toward accessing these valuable resources. This article will delve into the specifics of the SSS program, its objectives, eligibility criteria, application process, and key considerations for prospective applicants.

TRIO Programs: An Overview

TRIO programs are designed to provide direct support services for students and relevant training for directors and staff. The Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) works with colleges, universities, and agencies to help low-income students enter college and graduate through various membership services.

History and Evolution of TRIO

President Lyndon B. Johnson's experience teaching impoverished children motivated him to include the Upward Bound program in the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act. This was followed by the 1965 Higher Education Act, which included the Talent Search program. In 1968, Student Support Services was introduced as part of the Higher Education Amendments. Together, these three programs became known as "TRIO." Over the decades, the TRIO umbrella expanded to include Veterans Upward Bound, Educational Opportunity Centers, the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Program, and Upward Bound Math/Science. In 1976, a Training Program for Federal TRIO programs for professional staff was added.

The Importance of TRIO Programs

TRIO programs address the gap for individuals who may not have the same opportunities as their wealthier peers. These programs are essential because they serve many individuals, but budget limitations mean that many more remain unserved. The Council offers training and services to student support staff at over 1,000 colleges, universities, and agencies to help low-income students enter and graduate from college.

TRIO Programs: A Helping Hand

Giving a helping hand to low-income students is both the right thing to do and in our national self-interest. Too many promising, even brilliant students grow up in low-income surroundings with little family wealth to help smooth their paths. Helping them is a significant investment; the United States needs students of every background who are academically prepared and motivated to achieve success to remain competitive with other nations.

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Eligibility for TRIO Programs

Congress mandates that two-thirds of TRIO students must come from families with incomes no greater than 150% of federal poverty levels and in which neither parent graduated from college. While colleges and other institutions run TRIO programs, students can enroll in certain programs in elementary or high school.

Participant Eligibility for Grant Aid

To receive SSS program grant aid, students must be current participants in the SSS project who are in their first two years of postsecondary education and receiving Federal Pell Grants. Grant aid may be offered to students who have completed their first two years of postsecondary education and are receiving Federal Pell Grants if the institution demonstrates that these students are at high risk of dropping out and it has first met the needs of all its eligible first and second-year students.

Who May Apply

Institutions of higher education or a combination of institutions of higher education are the only entities eligible to compete for funds under the Student Support Services program. Low-income students who are first-generation college students and students with disabilities evidencing academic need are eligible to participate in SSS projects. Two-thirds of the participants in any SSS project must be either disabled or potential first-generation college students from low-income families. One-third of the disabled participants must also be low-income students.

Key TRIO Programs

Several TRIO programs cater to different educational stages and needs:

Talent Search: Serves young people in grades six through 12, providing counseling and information about college admissions, scholarships, and financial aid programs. More than 312,000 students are enrolled in 473 Talent Search TRIO projects.
Upward Bound: An intensive intervention program preparing students for higher education through enrichment courses in literature, composition, mathematics, science, and foreign language. 956 Upward Bound projects are serving more than 70,000 students.
Upward Bound Math-Science: Provides students with a rigorous math and science curriculum to encourage them to major in STEM disciplines in college. Currently, there are 211 projects serving more than 13,100 students.
Veterans Upward Bound: Offers intensive basic skills development and short-term remedial courses for military veterans transitioning to postsecondary education. There are 64 Veterans Upward Bound projects serving more than 8,400 students.
Student Support Services: Enables low-income students to stay in college until they earn their baccalaureate degrees, providing tutoring, counseling, and remedial instruction. More than 202,000 students are now being served by 1,069 Student Support Service programs at colleges and universities nationwide.
Educational Opportunity Centers: Serve displaced or underemployed workers, helping them choose a college and a suitable financial aid program. There are 142 Educational Opportunity Centers in America, serving more than 199,000 individuals.
Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program: Encourages low-income students and minority undergraduates to consider careers in college teaching and prepare for doctoral study. Currently, there are 187 projects serving more than 5,200 students.

Student Support Services (SSS) in Detail

Student Support Services (SSS) projects work to enable low-income students to stay in college until they earn their baccalaureate degrees. Participants, who include disabled college students, receive tutoring, counseling, and remedial instruction. More than 202,000 students are now being served by 1,069 Student Support Service programs at colleges and universities nationwide.

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Recent studies of Student Support Services found that program participation resulted in statistically significant higher student retention and transfer rates, improved grade point averages, and credit accumulation. Program participants also bested their similarly situated peers in degree completion at two-year colleges (41% vs. 28%) and four-year colleges (48% vs.

Program Description

Through a grant competition, funds are awarded to institutions of higher education to provide opportunities for academic development, assist students with basic college requirements, and to motivate students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education. Student Support Services (SSS) projects also may provide grant aid to current SSS participants who are receiving Federal Pell Grants. The goal of SSS is to increase the college retention and graduation rates of its participants.

Application Requirements for Student Support Services

The Student Support Services (SSS) program operates on a five-year grant cycle. Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) are eligible to apply.

Application Timeline

Applications Available: May 1, 2024
Deadline for Transmitting Applications: July 15, 2024

Application Contacts

The information below highlights award history information at both the program and project levels. Department of Education's annual Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) report for the Student Support Services (SSS) program contains outcome data for two measures -- postsecondary persistence and degree completion -- and one measure of program efficiency.

Pre-Application Technical Assistance Workshops

There will be 10 Pre-Application Technical Assistance Webinars for applicants interested in submitting applications for FY 2025 new awards.

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Key Application Questions and Answers

What is the purpose of the Student Support Services Program?The purpose of the Student Support Services Program (SSS) is to increase the number of disadvantaged low-income college students, first-generation college students, and college students with disabilities in the United States who successfully complete a program of study at the postsecondary level.
What is the application deadline for the competition?The deadline for transmittal of application is 11:59 pm ET on July 15, 2024.
Who is eligible to receive a SSS grant?An institution of higher education, or a consortia of institutions of higher education, is eligible to receive a grant to carry out a SSS project.
Are there competitive preference priorities in the competition?There will be two competitive preference priorities for a total of up to 8 points:
- Competitive preference priority 1: Meeting students social, emotional, and academic needs (up to 3 points).
- Competitive preference priority 2: Increasing postsecondary education access, affordability, completion and post-enrollment success (up to 5 points).
What is the recommended page limit for applications?The recommended page limit for applications is 65 pages.
Is an applicant allowed to submit multiple applications?An applicant may submit multiple applications if each separate application describes a project that will serve a different campus or a different population to include students who are limited English proficient, students from groups that are historically underrepresented in postsecondary education, students with disabilities, students who are homeless children and youths, students who are in foster care or are aging out of the foster care system, and other disconnected students.
What kinds of activities can be supported with grant funds?A Student Support Services project must provide the following services:
- Academic tutoring, directly or through other services provided by the institution, to enable students to complete postsecondary courses, which may include instruction in reading, writing, study skills, mathematics, science, and other subjects.
- Advice and assistance in postsecondary course selection.
- Information on both the full range of Federal student financial aid programs and benefits (including Federal Pell Grant awards and loan forgiveness) and resources for locating public and private scholarships; and
- Assistance in completing financial aid applications, including the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
- Education or counseling services designed to improve the financial and economic literacy of students, including financial planning for postsecondary education.
- Activities designed to assist participants enrolled in four-year institutions of higher education in applying for admission to, and obtaining financial assistance for enrollment in, graduate and professional programs.
- Activities designed to assist students enrolled in two-year institutions of higher education in applying for admission to, and obtaining financial assistance for enrollment in, a four-year program of postsecondary education.
A Student Support Services project may provide the following services:
- Individualized counseling for personal, career, and academic matters provided by assigned counselors.
- Information, activities, and instruction designed to acquaint students participating in the project with the range of career options available to the students.
- Exposure to cultural events and academic programs not usually available to disadvantaged students.
- Mentoring programs involving faculty or upper-class students, or a combination thereof.
- Securing temporary housing during breaks in the academic year forâStudents who are homeless children and youths or were formerly homeless children and youths; and foster care youths.
- Programs and activities specially designed for students who are limited English proficient, students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, students who are individuals with disabilities, students who are homeless children and youths, students who are foster care youth, or other disconnected students.
What is the duration of the average grant?All SSS grants are funded for 60 months.
What is the average annual grant amount?The estimated average grant amount is $324,456.
Are applicants required to have an indirect cost rate?All grants awarded under the Student Support Services Program (84.042A) are designated as training grants. The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) limits reimbursement to grantees for indirect costs they incur under training grants to the grantee's actual indirect costs as determined by the grantee's negotiated indirect cost agreement or a maximum of 8 percent of a modified total direct cost base, whichever is less.
How are applicants required to present Federal and non-Federal expenditures?All applicants must fill out the Project Budget Summary Form in the SSS Application Package which can found at Grants.gov/. Applicants must also provide a detailed budget narrative for the first year of the grant performance period. The narrative must address Federal expenditures and matching contributions.
In responding to the Quality of Project Design selection criterion, what type of evidence needs to be provided?In responding to this criterion, applicants should address how the design of the project demonstrates a rationale utilizing a logic model to demonstrate theoretical and operational relationships among the key project components and desired outcomes. Applicants should also address how they will achieve their intended goals and the ongoing efforts to examine the effects of the project components.
Is there a cost matching requirement?Generally, there is no cost matching requirement for grants funded under the Student Support Services Program. However, successful applicants that choose to use SSS Program funds to provide grant aid to students must provide matching funds, in cash, from non-federal funds source(s), in an amount that is not less than 33 percent of the total amount of the SSS Program funds used for this aid.
Who is eligible to receive Prior Experience Points?The Secretary will award up to 15 prior experience points to applicants that have conducted an SSS Program project within the last three Federal government fiscal years, based on their documented experience.
What are the reporting requirements for grantees?All SSS Program grantees are required to submit an annual performance report documenting the persistence and degree attainment of their participants.

Types of Projects

All SSS projects must provide: academic tutoring, which may include instruction in reading, writing, study skills, mathematics, science, and other subjects; advice and assistance in postsecondary course selection, assist student with information on both the full range of student financial aid programs, benefits and resources for locating public and private scholarships; and assistance in completing financial aid applications. Education or counseling services designed to improve the financial and economic literacy and assist students in applying for admission to graduate and professional programs; and assist students enrolled in two-Âyear institutions and applying for admission to, and obtaining financial assistance for enrollment in fourÂ-year programs.

The SSS projects may also provide individualized counseling for personal, career, and academic information, activities, and instruction designed to acquaint students with career options; exposure to cultural events and academic programs not usually available; mentoring programs, securing temporary housing during breaks for students who are homeless youths and students who are in foster care or are aging out of the foster care system.

Key Considerations for Applicants

Meeting Student Needs: Design projects to improve students' social, emotional, academic, and career development needs, focusing on underserved students.
Increasing Postsecondary Access: Create clearer pathways for students between institutions and make transfer of course credits more seamless and transparent.
Data Collection and Analysis: Establish a system of high-quality data collection and analysis for transparency, accountability, and institutional improvement.
Logic Model: Demonstrate a rationale utilizing a logic model to show theoretical and operational relationships among key project components and desired outcomes.

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