Washington State University Tri-Cities recently received $2.7 million in grants to improve college retention and graduation rates among low-income, first-generation students, and students with disabilities.  

The U.S. Department of Education funds come from two federal TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) grants, SSS Classic and STEM, and cover the next five years. The grants continue 15 years of TRIO SSS services on campus, which have served hundreds of TRIO scholars.  

TRIO SSS helps students overcome barriers to success through academic tutoring, financial aid, scholarship guidance, career exploration, personal and academic counseling, and mentoring.  

At WSU Tri-Cities, the grants serve 260 eligible students per academic year.  

According to a 2019 U.S. Department of Education evaluation, SSS students at two-year institutions were 48% more likely to earn an associate degree or transfer to a four-year school. Students at four-year institutions were 18% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree compared to peers not in the program. 

One of eight federal TRIO programs funded under the Higher Education Act of 1965, SSS was launched in 1968.