What is Student Support Services
Student Support Services projects work to enable low-income students to stay in college until they earn their baccalaureate degrees. Participants, who include disabled college students, receive tutoring, counseling and remedial instruction. Students are now being served at 947 colleges and universities nationwide. On average, students enrolled in the program experience higher GPA’s and higher retention and graduation rates.
What are the Eligibility Requirements?
The SSS program is available to undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens enrolled at Troy University at the time of application and have a need for academic support. You must also meet at least one or more of the following criteria: a) first generation student; b) income within federal guidelines; and c) have a documented disability.
What Kind of Services Does SSS Provide?
Student Support Services offers the following FREE services to students who qualify:
- Academic Support
- Financial & Economic Literacy
- Study Skills Instruction
- Academic Counseling
- Career Planning & Exploration
- Instructional Lab
- Financial Awards
- Outstanding and Friendly Staff
- Graduate & Professional College and University Visits
What is TRiO?
TRiO is a set of federally-funded college opportunity programs that motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds in their pursuit of a college degree. Over 850,000 low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities — from sixth grade through college graduation — are served by more than 2,800 programs nationally. TRIO programs provide academic tutoring, personal counseling, mentoring, financial guidance, and other supports necessary for educational access and retention. TRIO programs provide direct support services for students, and relevant training for directors and staff.
The term “TRiO” refers to the first three programs of this nature that fell under the Higher Education Amendments of 1968, Upward Bound (UB or Classic UB – 1964), Talent Search (TS – 1965), and the then newly proposed, Special Services for Disadvantaged Students (SSDS – 1968), now known as Student Support Services (SSS). The remaining five TRiO programs include Veterans Upward Bound (VUB – 1972), Educational Opportunity Centers Program (EOC- 1972), Ronald E. McNair Post baccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair – 1986), Upward Bound Math-Science (UBMS – 1990).
Why are TRiO programs important?
The United States needs to boost both its academic and economic competitiveness globally.
In order to foster and maintain a healthy economy as well as compete globally, the United States needs a strong, highly-educated, and competent workforce. To be on par with other nations, the country needs students, no matter their background, who are academically prepared and motivated to achieve success.
Low-income students are being left behind.
Only 38% of low-income high school seniors go straight to college as compared to 81% of their peers in the highest income quartile. Then, once enrolled in college, low-income students earn bachelor's degrees at a rate that is less than half of that of their high-income peers — 21% as compared with 45%.
The growing achievement gap in our country is detrimental to our success as a nation.
There is a tremendous gap in educational attainment between America's highest and lowest income students - despite similar talents and potential.