Central College was awarded a TRIO Student Support Services grant of $352,531 annually, totaling $1,762,655 over the five-year grant period.

This grant funds programming to increase retention and graduation rates among low-income, first-generation college students and students with disabilities. Since 1973, Student Support Service at Central has helped hundreds of students graduate and contribute to their communities and the broader economy.

Central’s program delivers individualized services – including academic tutoring, financial literacy education, scholarship guidance, career exploration, personal and academic counseling and mentoring – to help students overcome barriers to success. Student Support Service at Central also offers three courses that equip students to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally at Central and beyond.

A 2019 U.S. Department of Education evaluation found that Student Support Service students at two-year colleges were 48% more likely to earn an associate degree or transfer to a four-year school. At four-year institutions, these students were 18% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than similar peers outside the program. Student Support Service is one of eight federal TRIO programs funded under the Higher Education Act of 1965, and Central hosts three others, with two Upward Bound programs and Talent Search.