For nearly 60 years, the federal TRIO programs have helped low-income and first-generation students prepare for and succeed in college, NPR reports in a story from The Hechinger Report.
Upward Bound, Talent Search, Student Support Services, and other initiatives serve about 870,000 students a year, providing tutoring, advising, residential summer programs, and mentorship. Research shows they work: Upward Bound students are more than twice as likely to earn a bachelor’s degree as their peers from similar backgrounds, and Student Support Services has boosted graduation and 4-year college transfer rates among at-risk students.
The White House, however, has moved to end TRIO funding, calling the programs a “relic of the past.” Education Secretary Linda McMahon has argued that college access is no longer a major barrier and that there is insufficient data to justify the $1.2 billion annual cost.
Some grants have already been canceled, and the administration is pressing Congress to eliminate the programs altogether.
Advocates counter that the need remains clear. Census data show that students from the poorest households still earn college degrees at much lower rates than their wealthier peers. In places like eastern Kentucky, where TRIO has operated for decades, the college-going rate is a fraction of the national average.
Supporters across party lines in Congress, including Republicans from states where TRIO has deep roots, say it remains one of the most effective investments the federal government makes in young people.
That bipartisan support may yet save the program, but the uncertainty reflects a deeper philosophical divide. This administration has consistently targeted federal initiatives that support disadvantaged students, insisting that colleges themselves should shoulder the responsibility.
Yet the evidence suggests TRIO opens doors for students who would otherwise be left behind and helps build stronger communities with more stable futures. Cutting it now risks undermining decades of progress toward educational equity.
