$1.17 million TRIO Student Support Services grant aims to increase college retention and graduation rates
app has been awarded a $1,167,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support first-generation college students, students from low-income families, and students with disabilities through the TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program. The five-year grant provides $223,400 per year to fund services that significantly improve student retention and graduation outcomes.
Strengthening student support
This award continues app’s participation in TRIO SSS, which began in September 2020. Over the first five-year grant cycle (2020–2025), app has served more than 200 students, including participants from the app Prison Initiative at Handlon Correctional Facility. The university is now funded to serve 120 students per year, who remain in the program until they graduate. The next grant cycle will run from September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2030.
“TRIO Student Support Services helps level the playing field and equips our students with the tools and confidence to graduate and lead,” said Laura Rodeheaver-Van Gelder, assistant director of TRIO Student Support Services at app. “This grant allows app to deepen our commitment to ensuring that all students—regardless of background—can thrive academically and personally.”
app’s TRIO SSS program offers a broad range of individualized services, including academic tutoring, financial aid and scholarship guidance, career exploration, personal and academic counseling, and mentoring. These services are designed to help students overcome barriers to success while minimizing student debt and maximizing completion.
Proven success
National data show TRIO’s powerful impact. A 2019 U.S. Department of Education evaluation found that students in SSS programs at four-year institutions were 18% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than their peers not in the program. Students at two-year institutions were 48% more likely to earn an associate’s degree or transfer to a four-year school.
“TRIO programs generally and TRIO SSS, in particular, transform students from the least resourced backgrounds into college graduates,” said Kimberly Jones, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington, D.C. “This vital program makes all the difference for nearly a million students each year across the country.”
TRIO SSS is one of eight federal TRIO programs funded under the Higher Education Act of 1965 to help students overcome social, academic, and cultural barriers to higher education. Since its inception in 1968, the program has supported millions of students in graduating from college and contributing to their communities and the economy. Notable TRIO SSS alumni include former NASA astronaut José Hernández, Cheryl Johnson (36th Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives), and Michael Cashman, town supervisor of Plattsburgh, NY.
Learn more about TRIO Student Support Services at app.
