Why It Matters
Community colleges are the gateway to postsecondary opportunity for more than 4.5 million first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students nationwide.
A 2019 U.S. Department of Education evaluation found that SSS participants are 47 percent more likely to complete a two-year degree or transfer and 18 percent more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than comparable peers. By recognizing institutions that have institutionalized SSS practices—like academic coaching, mentoring, and data-driven evaluation—we aim to spotlight replicable models that boost student persistence, development, and achievement.
Who Can Apply
All public community colleges are encouraged to apply—whether you currently house an active TRIO SSS grant or your SSS program has concluded. To be eligible, your institution must:
- Demonstrate how SSS-inspired practices have been embedded beyond the TRIO program into broader advising, resource alignment, or curriculum strategies.
- Show evidence of measurable impact on student outcomes (e.g., retention rates, transfer metrics, credential completion) comparable to SSS benchmarks.
Join COE in celebrating community college innovation—apply for the Award for Institutional Effectiveness and showcase how your campus is transforming student lives through sustainable, opportunity-centered practices. If you have questions, email Nicole Norfles at [email protected].
Additional Information
Get In Touch
If you require the password to the Directory or have any questions about these resources, please contact COE Director of Program Practice and Innovation Nicole Norfles via email at [email protected] or call (202) 347-7430.
Strengthening Community College Sustainability Through Scaled TRIO Strategies
Community colleges today confront unprecedented challenges: nationwide enrollment declines, tightening budgets, and rising student basic-needs pressures.
Institutions face shrinking revenues at precisely the moment when food and housing insecurity demand expanded support services. To close budget shortfalls—driven by falling enrollments, retention, and graduation rates—colleges must adopt evidence-based interventions that bolster student success and institutional financial health.
The Challenge: Declining Enrollment, Retention, and Revenue
- Enrollment Downturn: Between 2012 and 2022, community college enrollment dropped by over 20%, eroding tuition revenues and straining institutional budgets.
- Retention Pressures: Low-income and first-generation students—who make up nearly 60% of the community college population—face compounded challenges that reduce fall-to-fall retention and impede progress toward credentials.
- Rising Basic-Needs Costs: Today’s students contend with food insecurity (affecting up to 45% of enrollees) and housing instability, forcing colleges to allocate scarce resources toward emergency aid and support programs.
Proven Impact of TRIO Student Support Services
Three $10,000 awards—open to colleges with current or past SSS programs—will spotlight scalable models that drive retention, completion, and economic mobility.
Scaling TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) practices campus-wide offers a data-driven path to reverse these trends:
-
Boosted Retention: At one Midwestern institution, students in SSS achieved a 91% fall-to-fall retention rate—nearly 30 percentage points higher than eligible nonparticipants.
-
Accelerated Graduation: SSS participants graduated at a rate double that of their peers, posting higher GPAs and stronger transfer outcomes to four-year universities.
-
Holistic Support Model: Core elements such as intrusive advising, cohort mentoring, and targeted tutoring address academic and non-academic barriers, ensuring students stay enrolled and on track to complete their credentials.
Financial and Institutional Benefits
Apply by October 15, 2025 to showcase your institution’s commitment to mission-aligned student support and to learn from peer leaders who are transforming the community college landscape.
Let’s secure the future of community colleges—one proven strategy at a time. By embedding SSS strategies beyond the TRIO grant—integrating intrusive advising into general advising centers, extending cohort programming to non-TRIO students, and applying data-driven evaluation practices—colleges can:
-
Increase Tuition Revenue: Higher retention and graduation rates translate directly into retaining more tuition-paying students.
-
Optimize Resource Allocation: Data-informed decision-making helps institutions target support that yields the greatest return on investment.
-
Strengthen Transfer Partnerships: Improved transfer rates enhance institutional reputation and unlock articulation agreements that attract new cohorts of incoming students.