TRiO Programs

Funded under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, TRiO is a series of educational-opportunity programs designed to help low-income, first-generation, and/or disabled Americans enter college.

Student Programs

TRiO is committed to providing educational opportunity for all Americans regardless of race, ethnic background, or economic circumstance. TRiO programs provide academic and emotional support to help students overcome the barriers to higher education.

TRiO Programs at the Center for Pre-College Programs include:

Who Is Served by TRiO?

Congress mandated that two-thirds of the students served must come from low-income families where neither parent graduated from college.

  • Currently, over 2,700 TRiO Programs serve nearly 873,000 low-income students/participants. The Educational Talent Search programs serve students in grades 6 through 12; the Upward Bound program serves students in grades 9 through 12
  • 37% of TRiO students are Caucasian, 36% are African-American, 19% are Hispanic, 4% are Native American, 4% are Asian-American, and 2% are listed as “Other,” including multiracial students
  • 16,000 students with disabilities and more than 25,000 veterans are currently enrolled in TRiO programs (Upward Bound, UB Math/Science, Student Support Services, Talent Search, Educational Opportunity Centers, and McNair)


More information is available at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/index.html.