Federal TRIO Programs

Welcome to the Federal TRIO Programs Office

he Federal TRIO Programs (TRIO) are Federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs. TRIO also includes a training program for directors and staff of TRIO projects.

The recipients of the grants, depending on the specific program, are institutions of higher education, public and private agencies and organizations including community-based organizations with experience in serving disadvantaged youth and secondary schools. Combinations of such institutions, agencies, and organizations may also apply for grants. These entities plan, develop and carry out the services for students. While individual students are served by these entities, they may not apply for grants under these programs. Additionally, in order to be served by one of these programs, a student must be eligible to receive services and be accepted into a funded project that serves the institution or school that student is attending or the area in which the student lives.

News and Information

• The Federal TRIO Programs 2025 Low-Income Levels is available.
• Dear Project Director Letter - ED HHS Collaboration in Support of Disconnected Youth
  (March 16, 2023)
• Schedule for the 2023-24 TRIO Annual Performance Reports
  • Student Support Services — November 4, 2024
  • Upward Bound/Upward Bound Math-Science — December 12, 2024
  • Talent Search — January 24, 2025 
  • Educational Opportunity Centers — January 2025 (Tentative)
  • Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement — February 2025 (Tentative)
  • Veterans Upward Bound — February 2025 (Tentative) 
• Recent TRIO Reports
  • Fast Facts Report for the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program: 2019-20
  • Fast Facts Report for the Educational Opportunity Centers Programs: 2018-19
  • Postsecondary Degree Completion Rates Among Students on the Upward Bound/Upward Bound Math-Science to Student Support Services Pathway
  • Fast Facts Report for the Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math-Science Programs: 2017–18
  • Fast Facts Report for The Veterans Upward Bound Program (2020)
  • Student Support Services participants in the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (May 2019)
  • Fast Facts Report for the Student Support Services Program (2016)
  • Fast Facts Report for the Talent Search Program (2016)
  • Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math-Science Program Postsecondary Outcomes Report (September 2016)
  • Persistence and Completion in Postsecondary Education of Participants in the TRIO Student Support Services Program (August 2015)
• Dear Colleague Letter: Developmental Education (January 18, 2017)
• The U.S. Department Education implements competitive grant programs that provide funding to colleges and nonprofit organizations to assist veterans in enrolling in and completing a program of postsecondary education. Find out more about programs that support military veterans.
• Grantmaking at ED, a non-technical summary of ED’s discretionary grant process and the laws and regulations that govern it.
• Letter to TRIO and GEAR UP programs' project directors about an ED and HHS collaborative for disconnected youth (November 23, 2015)

TRIO Programs

• Educational Opportunity Centers
• Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
• Student Support Services
• Talent Search
• Training Program for Federal TRIO Programs Staff
• Upward Bound
• Upward Bound Math-Science
• Veterans Upward Bound

Organization and Staff

• Student Service Organization Structure

Legislation, Regulations, and Guidance

• Legislation for TRIO Programs MS Word (217K) | PDF (188K)
• Legislation Authorizing the SSS Grant Aid [MS Word, 21K] 
• Guidance on the Federal Requirements for Cash Drawdowns: (1) Memo to ED Discretionary Grantees MS Word (86K)

Low-Income Levels

• Current-Year Low-Income Levels
• Prior-Year Low-Income Levels

TRIO Programs  

• Educational Opportunity Centers
• Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
• Talent Search
• Student Support Services
• Upward Bound Math-Science
• Upward Bound
• Veterans Upward Bound

TRIO Web Portal User Guides

• Quick Guide for Login.Gov: MS Word (33K)
• Detailed Guide for Login.Gov: MS Word (906K)
• APR Digital Signature Guide: PDF (712K)
  • Digital Signature FAQs: PDF (192)

Program Evaluations

Student Support Services:

National Evaluation of Student Support Services: Examination of Student Outcomes After Six Years (2010)

• Full Report PDF (1.97M)

Upward Bound:

The Impacts of Regular Upward Bound on Postsecondary Outcomes 7-9 Years After Scheduled High School Graduation: Final Report (2009).

• Full Report MS Word (1.3M)

The Impact of Regular Upward Bound: Results from the Third Follow-up Data Collection (2004)

• Report Highlights
• Complete Report:  PDF (842 KB)

Upward Bound Math-Science:

Upward Bound Math-Science Program Description and Interim Impact Estimates (2006)

• Executive Summary
• Complete Report:  PDF (9 MB)

McNair:

The Educational and Employment Outcomes of The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program Alumni (2008)

• Highlights:  PDF (27 KB) | MS Word (59 KB)
• Full Report:  PDF (2.1 MB) | MS Word (1.6 MB)

Talent Search:

A Study of the Effect of Talent Search on Secondary and Postsecondary Outcomes in Florida, Indiana, and Texas (2006)

• Report Highlights
• Complete report:  PDF (1 MB)

Implementation of the Talent Search Program, Past and Present - Final Report from Phase I of the National Evaluation (2004)

• Complete Report Website

Other Resources

• A Profile of the Federal TRIO Programs and Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program: 2008 MS Word (446K) | PDF (267K)
• TRIO 50th Anniversary Fact Sheet (PDF, 666K). TRIO 50th Anniversary Retrospective (an ED YouTube video best viewed in Google Chrome, 7:51 minutes)
• 50th Anniversary of the Federal TRIO Programs: Symposium; Thursday, August 21, 2014; 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Live stream can be accessed on ED Stream. For those grantees on the west coast and in the insular areas, the event will be stored and you will be able to listen to the symposium at a more convenient time on that day.
• Financial Aid Toolkit 
• TRIO Quest