TRIO Student Support Services

TRIO Student Support Services

The Federal TRIO Programs (TRIO) provide grants with the purpose of outreach and student 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.

Saint Peter’s University is proud to be a recipient of such grants as an institution of higher education to help our students. Specifically, the University is part of the Student Support Services (SSS) program.

TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) is funded to serve 140 students annually. TRIO SSS is designed to assist students who are first-generation, from low-income backgrounds, and/or have disabilities to persist in college until they earn their baccalaureate degrees. The goal of SSS is to increase retention and graduation rates of participants through quality interactions, clear expectations, and pathways to academic preparedness.

What Does TRIO Support Services Do?

Our mission at TRIO Support Services (SSS) is to give these underrepresented students an EDGE (Engage, Discover, Gain Experience, Excel). We provide many services thanks to these grants, including but not limited to:

  • Individual grant aid award for eligible TRIO SSS participants
  • Summer Bridge Program for first-year students
  • Community building activities
  • Cultural events
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Supplemental advising for academics
  • Individualized mentoring
  • Loaner laptop program
  • Financial aid information and literacy
  • Career planning and counseling
  • Individual and group tutoring
  • Graduate and professional school admissions preparation

Learn More about TRIO Support Services

Read more about TRIO by choosing an English or Spanish language flyer below.

Are You Eligible for TRIO Student Support Services?

Students who are eligible to participate in TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) are required to complete and submit an application.

To determine if you are eligible to participate in TRIO SSS, consider first if you are first-generation, low-income and/or have a learning or physical disability:

  • First-generation college student is defined as:
    • A student whose biological or adoptive parents have not received a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
    • A student who, prior to the age of 18, regularly resided with and received support from only one parent and whose supporting parent did not receive a baccalaureate degree.
    • An individual who, prior to the age of 18, did not regularly reside with or receive support from a natural or an adoptive parent.
  • Individual with a disability is defined as:
  • Low-income individual is defined as:
    • An individual whose family’s taxable income did not exceed 150 percent of the poverty level amount in the calendar year preceding the year in which the individual initially participated in the project.
    • Please use the Federal TRIO Program Current-Year Low-Income Levels chart to determine if you are eligible as part of this category.

If you are unsure about meeting the requirements, contact the TRIO SSS by phone (201) 761-6293 or email triosss@saintpeters.edu. Check with Disability Services regarding accommodations or questions about disability status.

What Do You Need to Fill Out Your TRIO Application?

In order to accurately and efficiently review your TRIO application, please be sure to have the following available prior to filling out the application:

  • If you identify as an individual with a disability, you must share documentation of a physical and/or learning disability via a doctor’s note or other documentation from someone currently treating you.
  • If you identify as a low-income student, you will need to provide your family/household’s annual taxable income and the number of people claimed in your household on last year’s IRS Income Tax Form, including yourself. For the specific tax year we are requesting, please refer to the TRIO SSS application.
    • If you have already set up your Peacock Portal account, please upload your information there and your application will be added to the portal.

TRIO-Student Support Services (TRIO-SSS) is a federally funded program that provides opportunities for academic development, assists students with basic college requirements, and to motivate students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education through retention-based resources. TRIO-SSS at Saint Peter’s University (SPU) is also known as The EDGE program—EDGE (Explore, Discover, Gain Experience, and Excel), which serves up to 140 students. Our mission statement underscores the University’s core ethos, its embrace of this heterogeneous population and the commitment to educate a diverse community of learners … and promote justice in our ever-changing urban and global environment. Our mission, goals, and objectives for TRIO Student Support Services at Saint Peter’s University are indicated below.