TRIO educational opportunity programs

TRIO is a set of federally funded college opportunity programs that support students from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds in their pursuit of a college degree.  TRIO programs provide academic tutoring, personal counseling, mentoring, financial guidance, and other supports necessary for educational access and retention.

Grounded in the civil rights movement, UMN TRIO programs in the CEHD strive to ensure equal opportunity and equitable access to higher education along the educational continuum for underrepresented students, specifically those who are low income, first generation, and have disabilities. We promote retention and graduation through advising, academic support, mentoring, and advocacy, thereby cultivating a space for collegiate success and local and global community engagement.

Minnesota TRIO is the professional association for personnel affiliated with TRIO programs throughout the state of Minnesota. MN TRIO is one of eight state chapters which form the Mid-American Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (MAEOPP).

The Council for Opportunity in Education is a non-profit organization dedicated to the expansion of educational opportunities throughout the United States. The council works in conjunction with colleges, universities, and agencies that host TRIO programs to specifically help low-income and disabled Americans enter college and graduate.

The following three TRIO programs are jointly funded by the College of Education and Human Development and the U.S. Department of Education.

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TRIO Student Support Services (SSS)

TRIO Student Support Services, part of the President's Emerging Scholars program, selects 150 new freshmen each fall to participate in a multidimensional program that provides a variety of comprehensive and supplemental academic and educational support. TRIO SSS provides advising, financial aid counseling, personal support, and help with academic planning, major, and career exploration for low- to moderate-income, first-generation, and special-needs students. The program includes College English Transitions, a first-year sequence of courses offered to freshmen for whom English is not their first language.

TRIO Ronald E. McNair Program

The TRIO Ronald E. McNair Program prepares underrepresented, low-income, first-generation college students for graduate study. Services to program participants include academic counseling, tutoring, test preparation for the Graduate Record Exam, paid research internships, mentoring, advocacy, and help in applying to graduate schools, and seminars to help prepare for graduate study.

Applications are available in 40 Education Sciences Building, or call 612-625-0772.

TRIO Upward Bound

TRIO Upward Bound is a college preparatory program for low-income and educationally disadvantaged high school students designed to help generate the skills they need to succeed in postsecondary education. Upward Bound provides comprehensive and intensive support including tutoring and academic skill development for college-bound students.