Federal TRIO Programs: Student Support Services (SSS)
SSS funds colleges to run academic tutoring, advising, financial and economic literacy, and transfer and graduate school support for low-income, first-generation and disabled students. Scoring follows the program regulations in 34 CFR 646.21: need data comparing eligible students with their peers, ambitious but attainable objectives, and a detailed plan of operation. Current grantees can earn up to 15 additional prior experience points based on their annual performance reports.
Program facts
- Agency
- Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), Student Service, U.S. Department of Education
- Assistance Listing
- 84.042A
- Statutory authority
- Title IV, Part A, Subpart 2, Chapter 1 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, section 402D (20 U.S.C. 1070a-11 and 1070a-14); regulations at 34 CFR part 646
- Award ceiling
- $272,364 per year for new applicants serving the minimum number of participants; current grantees may request the greater of $272,364 or 100% of their FY2024 base award
- Awards
- The most recent competition (applications due July 15, 2024) estimated about 1,159 new awards averaging $324,456 a year, with an estimated range of $148,181 to $1,659,366
- Period of performance
- Up to 60 months
- Cost share
- None for general operations. Grantees that use SSS funds for student grant aid must match that aid at least 33% in non-federal cash, unless the institution is eligible under HEA Title III Part A or B or Title V
- Cycle
- SSS competes about every five years. The last competition posted May 1, 2024 with a July 15, 2024 deadline for five-year grants. ED proposed eliminating TRIO in its FY2026 budget request; Congress kept the programs running and grantees have reported new five-year awards, so check current appropriations before planning.
Program goals
- Increase retention and persistence of participants in postsecondary education
- Keep participants in good academic standing
- Raise certificate and degree completion and transfer from two-year to four-year institutions
- Raise baccalaureate completion at four-year institutions
Scoring rubric
Need for the project24
The number and share of eligible students (8), the academic and other problems they face (8), and gaps between eligible students and a comparison group in retention, graduation, GPA and transfer or graduate school rates (8).
Objectives8
Ambitious, attainable objectives for persistence (3), good academic standing (2) and completion or transfer (3), tied to the need data.
Plan of operation30
Plans to inform the campus (3), select participants with academic need (3), assess and monitor each participant (4), deliver services (10) and administer the project, including staff time and records management (10).
Institutional commitment16
Committed facilities and staff (6), retention-friendly policies (6), reduced loan dependence (2) and cooperation from admissions, financial aid, registrar and institutional research (2).
Quality of personnel9
Qualifications for the director (3) and other staff (3), and a plan to hire people who overcame similar barriers (3).
Budget5
A reasonable, cost-effective budget adequate for the proposed services.
Evaluation plan8
Quantitative and qualitative measures with baselines (4) and a clear plan to use results to change the program (4).
Quality of the project design5
A logic model or rationale that links services to expected outcomes.
Point values from the FY2025 SSS notice inviting applications (89 FR 35080, May 1, 2024): 105 points from selection criteria plus up to 8 competitive preference points; current grantees could also earn up to 15 prior experience points. Priorities change by administration, so confirm against the next notice.
Eligibility
- Institutions of higher education or combinations of IHEs, following the group application rules in 34 CFR 75.127 to 75.129
- Projects serve low-income students, first-generation college students and students with disabilities enrolled at the institution
- Separate proposals can target regular, ESL, STEM and health science, teacher preparation, veterans and students with disabilities populations
- Regular proposals for new applicants serve at least 140 participants (120 for STEM and veterans, 100 for students with disabilities)
Required attachments
- SF-424 and ED Form 524 budget
- SSS Program Profile form, including any competitive preference priorities addressed
- One-page project abstract
- Application narrative with table of contents and budget narrative
- Group agreement for applications from combinations of IHEs
- Assurances and certifications
Formatting rules
- Recommended limit of 65 pages for the narrative, including the budget narrative
- Double-spaced text on 8.5 x 11 pages with 1-inch margins
- Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New or Arial at 12 points or larger
- Up to three additional pages recommended for each competitive preference priority addressed
Why applications lose points
- Need data that describes the whole student body rather than SSS-eligible students against a comparison group
- Objectives that are not ambitious relative to the need data or not attainable with the proposed staffing
- A plan of operation that lists services without explaining how each participant's progress is monitored
- Missing evidence of institutional cooperation from financial aid, registrar and institutional research offices
- Serving fewer students than the minimum without adjusting the requested amount to the per-participant rate
How ELIXIR CONSUMERS helps with TRIO SSS
- 1.Pulls retention, GPA and graduation comparisons from your institutional research exports and cites the cohort and term for each figure
- 2.Checks your requested budget against the per-participant caps for your proposal type
- 3.Drafts objectives from your annual performance report results so targets stay ambitious and attainable
- 4.Collects commitment letters from campus offices and maps each to the institutional commitment subcriteria
More education breakdowns
- GEAR UP Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Partnership GrantsALN 84.334A
- NSF ATE Advanced Technological Education (ATE)ALN 47.076
- NSF IUSE: EDU Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Directorate for STEM Education (IUSE: EDU)ALN 47.076
- Title III SIP Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP), Title III Part AALN 84.031A
Questions, answered
What are prior experience points?
Under 34 CFR 646.22, current SSS grantees can earn up to 15 points based on how they met objectives in recent annual performance reports. They are added to the selection criteria score.
Can one college submit more than one SSS application?
Yes, if each proposal serves a different population or type, such as a regular project and a STEM project, with different participants.
Does SSS allow grant aid to students?
Yes, for eligible participants, but most institutions must match that aid with at least 33% in non-federal cash.
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