The Council for Opportunity in Education Applauds Senators Susan Collins, Jon Tester, Shelley Moore Capito, and Tammy Baldwin for Reintroducing Bill to Strengthen the Federal TRIO Programs

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, the Council for Opportunity in Education applauds U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Jon Tester (D-MT), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) for their efforts in ensuring that historically underserved students have fair opportunities to attend college, receive assistance to prepare for, succeed in, and complete higher education. 

“This bill will make possible needed modifications in the TRIO programs, both responses to the changing needs of today’s students and corrections to reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies,” said COE President Maureen Hoyler. “We are deeply grateful for their attentiveness to the recommendations of TRIO educators.” 

The Federal TRIO programs assist students from middle school through graduate post-baccalaureate programs, adult learners, and veterans with the resources they need to successfully prepare for and complete postsecondary education. 

Congress created the TRIO programs because it recognized that low-income, first-generation students often face significant financial and societal obstacles to accessing and achieving success in higher education. I have long supported the TRIO programs and worked to ensure they reach the most needed students.

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)

The proposed legislation aims to implement sensible changes that would simplify the process for educational institutions to reach out to students who would benefit from the programs. Furthermore, it aims to prevent a similar situation in 2017 when the U.S. Department of Education rejected many applications based solely on minor formatting issues.  

Among those affected was the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI). Its application was rejected because it used one-and-a-half spacing instead of double spacing in the text within graphics on two of its 65 application pages. Senator Collins intervened and convinced the Department of Education to reverse its decision, ensuring funding for UMPI. 

“Congress created the TRIO programs because it recognized that low-income, first-generation students often face significant financial and societal obstacles to accessing and achieving success in higher education,” said Senator Collins in a press release from the U.S. Senate. “I have long supported the TRIO programs and worked to ensure they reach the most needed students. These programs have changed the lives of first-generation students in Maine and across the country, opening the doors to higher education opportunities.  I urge our colleagues to join us in this effort to reauthorize and strengthen the federal TRIO programs.” 

Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers programs would be able to serve all students at schools where more than 40 percent of attendees receive free or reduced-price lunches. Other key provisions of the proposed bill include: 

• Granting “low-income” status to Pell Grant recipients. 
• Increasing McNair stipends to $5,000. 
• Distinguishing between the objectives and permissible services for Upward Bound and Veterans Upward Bound. 
• Ensuring the funding band includes applicants up to five points below the cutoff score. 

In March, President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget proposal recommended an increase of $107 million (or 9%) for the Federal TRIO programs. If approved by Congress, this funding increase would allow Federal TRIO programs to move closer towards its goal of providing 1 million students with individualized support services, academic tutoring and individual counseling, financial literacy, and other needed resources to be successful in their academic careers. 

Currently serving over 880,000 students in every state and many territories, the Federal TRIO Programs were first enacted in the Higher Education Act of 1965. The seven student programs play a critical role in the postsecondary education system by supporting other federal investments, like Pell Grants and other federal financial aid. 

For more information, visit coenet.org.  

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The Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) is a nonprofit organization established in 1981, dedicated to expanding college opportunities for low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities. Through its myriad membership services, the Council works with colleges, universities, and agencies that host federal TRIO programs that help more than 800,000 low-income students and students with disabilities each year receive college access and retention services. 

TRIO programs (Talent Search, Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math-Science, Veterans Upward Bound, Student Support Services, Educational Opportunity Centers, and the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program) help students overcome economic, social, academic, and cultural barriers to higher education. TRIO services include assistance in choosing a college and tutoring; personal, financial, and career counseling; assistance in applying to college; workplace and college visits; special instruction in reading, writing, study skills, and mathematics; assistance in applying for financial aid; and academic assistance in high school or assistance to reenter high school or college.