General TRIO Information

Title IV and the Creation of TRiO:
TRiO Programs (Upward Bound and Talent Search) were first funded under the Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.  Student Support Services (originally Special Services) was created under the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1968, which resulted in the coining of the term TRiO (the small i is used to indicate that the term is not an acronym even though it is usually spelled “TRIO” in all caps). The family of federally-funded TRiO programs has since grown to seven with the addition of Educational Opportunity Centers, Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement, Upward Bound Math/Science, and Veterans Upward Bound.

Student Support Services (SSS) is a college level TRiO program created to increase the college retention and graduation rates of its participants and facilitate the process of transition from one level of higher education to the next. SSS provides a comprehensive range of academic and other support services to enhance students’ academic skills in order to help them reach their educational and career goals.

Approximately 1,000 community colleges, four-year colleges and universities now offer TRiO-SSS programs across America. TRiO funds are distributed to institutions through competitive grants sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.

All program services are provided at No Cost to participants.

Council for Opportunity in Education

The Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) is a nonprofit organization, established in 1981, dedicated to furthering the expansion of educational opportunities throughout the United States. Through its numerous membership services, the Council works in conjunction with colleges, universities, and agencies that host TRIO Programs to specifically help low-income students enter college and graduate.

Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel
The Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (SAEOPP) is a non-profit organization of eight states whose members are involved in equal educational opportunity for disadvantaged individuals, while advancing the ideals of student access, persistence and completion of postsecondary education. SAEOPP is dedicated to supporting TRIO Personnel through professional development, education, and activism for TRIO.  Our member states are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

Alabama Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel
The Alabama Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (AAEOPP) is a non-profit organization designed to bring together into a work and study community those persons who have an active interest in or who are professionally involved in broadening accessibility to and success in formal postsecondary education.