What's New Important Note to all Prospective Applicants: Extension of Upward Bound Closing Date. More... The FY 2012 Upward Bound (regular) grant application is available in Grants.gov. Deadline extended: February 1, 2012. FY 2012 Veterans Upward Bound Pre-Application Technical Assistance Workshop and Webinars To assist grantees in preparing their 2010-11 SSS Annual Performance Report (APR) data file, the APR is now available. More... The APRs for Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math-Science, and Veterans Upward Bound are available. The new 2011-2012 Training Opportunities for TRIO Programs' Personnel schedule is now available.

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

The 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

• Important Note to all Prospective Applicants: Extension of Upward Bound Closing Date. Please be advised that due to www.Grants.gov undergoing scheduled maintenance and system unavailability from Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 12:01 a.m. ET until Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. ET, the Upward Bound closing date has been extended until February 1, 2012. If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to OPE_TRIO@ed.gov or you may call Ken Waters at (202) 502-7586 or Gaby Watts at (202) 502-7545. See Federal Register Notice to extend the closing date | PDF
• The Notice Inviting Applications for new regular Upward Bound (UB) awards for fiscal year 2012 was published on Monday, December 19, 2011. Please note that the electronic application is only available in Grants.gov. We encourage you to read the notice thoroughly to ensure that applications are submitted precisely as specified. Application deadline extended from Monday, January 30, 2012 to Wednesday, February 1, 2012. Contacts: OPE_TRIO@ed.gov; Ken Waters; or Gaby Watts
• To assist applicants in preparation for the 2012 Veterans Upward Bound competition, the Student Service Area will conduct on-site and webinar pre-application workshops.
• The 2010-11 Student Support Services Annual Performance Report (APR) is now available. We anticipate that the online data collection will begin in mid-January with a mid-February 2012 due date. Please check the Web site for updates.
• The FY 2011 (2011-12 project year) lists of awards and funding are available. Please refer to the Awards and Funding pages for each program individually. The total funding allocation for the TRIO Programs in FY 2011 was $878,934,965. The total number of projects was 2,957, and the total number of participants served was 797,248 (does not include TRIO Training participants). Fiscal Year 2012 estimates for TRIO funding (including CCRAA) is $914,264,000.
• The SSS Online Student Records Verification (also referred to as Tier 1A) online web data collection application is available November 14, 2011. Grantees must review and confirm the participant records by December 15, 2011.
• The Annual Performance Report (APR) for Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math-Science is available November 1, 2011. The APR for Veterans Upward Bound is available November 21. APRs must be submitted by the due date so that prior experience points can be calculated. Most regular UB grantees' APRs will be due November 30; UB grantees with start dates of December 1 will have a deadline of January 20, 2012. UBMS and VUB grantees' APRs will be due December 31, 2011.
• The Annual Performance Report for Talent Search and EOC is available November 7, 2011, with a deadline of December 9, 2011.
• The 2010-11 McNair APR online data collection Web site is available on November 1, 2011. The deadline for submitting the APR is December 31, 2011.
• FY 2012 Upward Bound Pre-Application Technical Assistance Workshops: In preparation for the FY 2012 Upward Bound Program competition, the Student Service Area conducted several on-site and webinar pre-application workshops in the fall. Contact the program office for follow up information about the workshops.

  Please be advised that the deadline for submitting applications for the Veterans Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math and Science Programs’ competitions has not been determined. Please check the Web site for updates and additional details frequently. Additional information regarding Veterans Upward Bound will be posted as soon as it becomes available.

• The new 2011-2012 Training Opportunities for TRIO Programs' Personnel schedule is now available. The trainings listed are being paid for with TRIO resources. Therefore, it is important that if you register for training that you actually attend the training or give ample notification that you will not be able to attend. We will ask for a list of no-shows from the training organizations and these no-shows will risk not being able to attend future TRIO-sponsored training events.
• TRIO Budget Update
  The Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, P.L. 112-10, was passed by Congress on April 15, 2011. It provides funding for the Department of Education for the remainder of Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2011. The FY 2011 appropriation for the Federal TRIO Programs is $826,521,644, approximately 3.1 percent below the 2010 level. For the Student Support Services, Upward Bound, McNair, and TRIO Training programs, an across-the-board reduction of approximately 3.1 percent will be applied to grants for which continuation awards are made in FY 2011. In addition, the funding allotted for the FY 2011 competitions for new awards under the Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers programs has been reduced by approximately 2 percent. Competitions run in FY 2011 had a slightly smaller decrease than other TRIO programs because some costs were offset by the availability of evaluation funds. Additional information regarding the FY 2011 budget is available.
• The 2011 TRIO Low-Income Levels are available.
• The planned Upward Bound (UB), Upward Bound Math-Science (UBMS), and Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) competitions have been delayed. At this time, the Department expects to have a closing date for UB, UBMS, and VUB applications in the fall of 2011. Please read the Open Letter to All Potential Applicants: PDF (235 K)
• The planned McNair competition has been delayed. At this time, the Department expects to have a closing date for McNair applications in the fall of 2011. Please read the Open Letter to All Potential Applicants: PDF (380 K)

Upcoming Competitions for TRIO Funding

• Schedule
  • Educational Opportunity Centers - application deadline date, late spring 2011; late summer 2011 award date
  • Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement - application deadline date, fall 2011; summer 2012 award date
  • Student Support Services - application deadline date, fall 2014; spring/summer 2015 award date
  • Talent Search - application deadline date: December 28, 2010; summer 2011 award date
  • Training Program for Federal TRIO Programs - application deadline date: early 2012; summer 2012 award date
  • Upward Bound - application deadline date, summer/fall 2011; spring 2012 award date
  • Upward Bound Math-Science - application deadline date, summer/fall 2011; summer 2012 award date
  • Veterans Upward Bound - application deadline date, summer/fall 2011; summer 2012 award date
• Notice Soliciting Peer Reviewers (Field Readers) to Review TRIO Grant Applications

Reference Documents

TRIO History

Legislation, Regulations, and Guidance

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

Higher Education Opportunity Act (P.L. 110-315)

Text | PDF

Low-Income Levels

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

TRIO Program Reports

• A Profile of the Federal TRIO Programs and Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program: 2008 MS Word (446K) | PDF (267K)
• Veterans Upward Bound
• Upward Bound Math-Science
• Upward Bound
• Student Support Services
• Talent Search
• Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
• Educational Opportunity Centers

Program Evaluations

Student Support Services:

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

• Abstract MS Word (37.0K)
• Full Report PDF (1.97M) | MS Word (2.30M)

Upward Bound:

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

• Highlights MS Word (28K)
• Full Report MS Word (1.3M)
• Appendix A MS Word (6.7M)

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

• Report Highlights
• Complete Report: PDF (842 KB) | MS Word (995 KB)

Upward Bound Math-Science:

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

• Executive Summary
• Complete Report: PDF (9 MB) | Word (4.5 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

• FSA for Counselors - Web Site for Middle School, High School, and TRIO Counselors
• TRIO Quest
• Archived TRIO Information

Questions or Comments? OPE_TRIO@ed.gov
U.S. Department of Education
1990 K Street, N.W., 7th Floor
Washington, DC 20006-8510

Student Service Home