If you believe every student deserves a chance to go to college — whether they are the first in their family to go to college, from a low-income household, a veteran, a parent, or a student with a disability — then you have to believe in TRIO. In a nutshell, TRIO programs — which includes Upward Bound, Talent Search, and Student Support Services — provide tutoring, advising, mentorship, and college preparation to students from low-income backgrounds, first-generation college students, veterans, student-parents, and students with disabilities. TRIO creates a pipeline beginning in middle and high school that prepares students for higher education and careers. So, the sudden federal freeze of roughly $660 million in TRIO program funds is a devastating blow to students who depend on these programs to access, persist in, and complete higher education.

TRIO works. Decades of evidence show that TRIO participants have higher rates of college enrollment, persistence, and completion than their peers. Cutting or withholding these funds does not just mean fewer services. It means there will be more students dropping out, fewer students getting their degrees, and fewer young people prepared to enter the workforce.

The federal funding freeze is particularly harmful for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), which host and partner with many TRIO programs and serve a disproportionate share of low-income and first-generation students. When TRIO is disrupted, these institutions face added strains, and their students lose access to vital supports.

This funding freeze jeopardizes not only individual futures but also America’s long-term competitiveness. Weakening TRIO undermines our nation’s diverse talent pool, shrinking the workforce we need to compete globally.

America’s future depends on elevating, not eliminating, support for the students who have historically been left behind. Every day that these funds are withheld, students lose ground. We cannot let partisan politics erase pathways that change lives.

EdTrust urges the U.S. Department of Education and Congress to immediately release the $660 million in frozen TRIO funds and take action to safeguard these programs in future budget cycles. TRIO has a proven return on investment, strong community impact, and life-changing results for students and the economy. Investing in TRIO is investing in America’s future. Withholding these funds is not about saving money. It is deliberately closing doors.

Photo by Allison Shelley/Complete College Photo Library