The federal TRIO Programs are educational opportunity outreach programs designed to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO Includes five distinct outreach programs targeted to serve and assist students to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs.
The history of TRIO is progressive. It began with Upward Bound which emerged out of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 in response to the Administration's War on Poverty. In 1965, Talent Search, the second outreach program, was created as part of the Higher Education Act. In 1968, Student Support Services, which was originally known as Special Services for Disadvantaged Students, was authorized by the Higher Education Amendments and became the third in a series of educational opportunity programs. By the late 1960's the term "TRIO" was coined to describe these federal programs.
