Oakton awarded nearly $2 million to support first-generation, low-income, and students with disabilities through TRIO Student Support Services
Oakton awarded nearly $2 million to support first-generation, low-income, and students with disabilities through TRIO Student Support Services
TRIO Student Support Services connects students with a supportive network of mentors.
Des Plaines, Ill. (Aug. 18, 2025) — Oakton College has received a five-year, $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to continue serving students through the TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program. The funding will help improve college retention and graduation rates among low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities.
The award marks the continuation of 35 years of TRIO SSS services at Oakton. Since 1990, the program has served thousands of students, helping them stay in school, earn degrees and build meaningful careers.
Through individualized services including academic tutoring, financial aid, scholarship guidance, career exploration, personal and academic counseling and mentoring, TRIO SSS empowers students to overcome barriers to success. The comprehensive support makes it significantly more likely that students will complete their degree or successfully transfer, with the lowest possible debt.
“This grant reaffirms Oakton’s commitment to supporting first-generation college students,” said Esperanza Salgado-Rodriguez, TRIO SSS manager. “For first-generation, low-income, and students with disabilities, college can feel overwhelming. Our TRIO program provides academic resources, support and a community that believes in their potential.”
Nationally, the SSS program has a proven track record. According to a rigorous 2019 evaluation by the U.S. Department of Education, students in SSS at two-year institutions were 48% more likely to earn an associate’s degree or transfer to a four-year school, and students at four-year institutions were 18% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree compared to similar peers not in the program.
From 2020 to 2024, 47% of Oakton’s TRIO participants earned a degree or certificate, and 33% earned a degree or certificate and transferred to a four-year institution. That surpassed federal benchmarks of 25% credential completion within four years, and 20% credential completion and transfer.
“TRIO programs generally and TRIO SSS, in particular, transforms students from the least resourced backgrounds into college graduates,” said Kimberly Jones, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington, D.C. “This vital program makes all the difference for nearly a million students each year across the country.”
SSS is one of eight federal TRIO programs funded under the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove social, academic, and cultural barriers to higher education. Since its inception in 1968, SSS has helped millions of low-income, first-generation students graduate from college and contribute to their communities and the economy. Notable alumni of the TRIO Student Support Services program include Michael Cashman, Town Supervisor of Plattsburgh, N.Y.; former NASA astronaut José Hernández; and Cheryl Johnson, 36th Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives.
For more information about TRIO Student Support Services at Oakton, visit Oakton’s website.
