A commitment to advancing educational opportunity

TRIO Programs were established to help students overcome class, social, academic and cultural barriers to higher education. These federal programs were designed to:

• Identify promising students (Talent Search Programs)
• Prepare them to do college-level work (Upward Bound Programs)
• Provide information on academic and financial aid opportunities (Educational Opportunity Centers)
• Provide support and tutoring services to students once they reach campus (Student Support Services Programs)
• Encourage undergraduate students to consider careers in college teaching as well as prepare for doctoral study (Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Programs)

Students enrolled in TRIO Programs mirror our nation's multicultural and multiethnic society. As of 1997, there were 2,000 TRIO Programs and 730,000 students being served throughout the nation. Since 1965, an estimated two million students have graduated from college with the assistance and support of our nation's TRIO Programs.