Over the past six decades, federal programs have helped millions of low-income students earn college degrees.
Called the “TRIO programs” because there used to be three of them, federal funding now covers eight initiatives targeted toward low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities.
The initial programs were launched in 1965 as part of what President Lyndon Johnson called the Great Society, an ambitious agenda for social reform.
But with Trump administration officials holding up funding meant to fund college access efforts under TRIO, university officials and higher education access advocates are expressing concern.
Silas Allen, who covers education for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, said the Trump administration has frozen $660 million in grant funding that was supposed to go out at the beginning of the month.
“Colleges and universities across the country that have TRIO programs expected to get their award notices by Sept. 1,” he said. “Instead, the U.S. Department of Education sent out what are called no cost extension notices, which essentially gives those grant recipients the authority to continue the programs that those grants fund without the funding to do it.”
There wasn’t much explanation for why the funding was frozen, Allen said.
“The Trump administration has said in their budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year that they don’t believe that college access is the barrier it once was for low-income students,” Allen said. “[They said] that colleges should use their own money to recruit underrepresented students.”
» GET MORE NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE: Sign up for Texas Standard’s weekly newsletters
Some of the TRIO programs, including Upward Bound and Talent Search, are well known.
“They recruit underrepresented students — first-generation college students, students from low-income families, and students in rural areas,” Allen said. “They generally do have some kind of application process. These are programs that will reach students in middle school and high school.”
For example, Allen said, Texas Christian University has a relationship with four high schools in Fort Worth ISD. Students at those high schools get college planning advice, career exploration and tutoring through TRIO programs
“One concern I’ve heard so far is just that these programs help underrepresented students get to college and many of those students wouldn’t see themselves as college material except for these programs,” Allen said. “But also they help universities build relationships within their communities. At TCU, for example, these programs help the university kind of forge a partnership with Fort Worth ISD that has been fruitful on a number of fronts.”
Allen said he is watching to see the status of this funding going forward.
“By the end of the year, we should have a better idea of whether funding will be preserved for these programs for the upcoming fiscal year,” he said. “But also, by the month, we should have a better idea of where things stand with these programs for the current fiscal year. Colleges and universities that get these grants expect to have an idea of what the funding situation is going to be sometime this month.”
