TRiO Student Support Services

Who are we?

TRiO is a grant-funded program by the Department of Education. At Missouri State, the goal of TRiO is to assist qualified students in attending and eventually graduating from college. Our goal is simple: We want our students to graduate! We understand that many students at Missouri State have to overcome significant barriers to their education. We are here to help.

TRiO Student Support Services provides a supportive environment where students can feel comfortable asking for help. Tutoring, intensive academic advising and study skills assistance are only a few of the many services we offer. Feel free to browse through our website and see what else TRiO may have to offer you.

Who we Serve?

As mandated by Congress, two-thirds of the students served must come from families with incomes under $28,000, where neither parent graduated from college. More than 2,700 TRiO Programs currently serve nearly 866,000 low-income Americans. Many programs serve students in grades six through 12. Thirty-seven percent of TRIO students are Whites, 35% are African-Americans, 19% are Hispanics, 4% are Native Americans, 4% are Asian-Americans, and 1% are listed as "Other," including multiracial students. Twenty-two thousand students with disabilities and more than 25,000 U.S. veterans are currently enrolled in the TRiO Programs as well.

How the TRIO Works?

Over 1,000 colleges, universities, community colleges, and agencies now offer TRiO Programs in America. TRiO funds are distributed to institutions through competitive grants.

Evidence of Achievement

Nearly 20 percent of all Black and Hispanic freshmen who entered college in 1981 received assistance through the TRIO Talent Search or EOC programs; students in the TRIO Student Support Services program are more than twice as likely to remain in college than those students from similar backgrounds who did not participate in the program.