Loyola University New Orleans Awarded $1.3 Million to Support First-Generation and Low-Income Students

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Loyola University $1.3 million to help improve retention and graduation rates among low-income and first-generation students, and students with disabilities.

The award is through the federal Student Support Services (SSS) Program, which empowers students to overcome barriers to success through individualized services including academic tutoring, financial aid, scholarship guidance, career exploration, personal and academic counseling, and mentoring.

The SSS program – one of eight administered by the federal TRIO Programs Office – is designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.

With comprehensive support in place for low-income and first-generation students, and those with disabilities, these scholars are significantly more likely to complete their first bachelor’s degree, said Monica Curtis, Director of Loyola’s TRIO SSS Program.

“This grant allows Loyola to deepen our commitment to ensuring that all students – regardless of background – can thrive academically and personally,” Curtis said. “TRIO plays a vital role in helping our students navigate college successfully, pursue their career and personal goals, and contribute meaningfully to their communities after graduation.”

The SSS Program will provide the Pan-American Life Student Success Center at Loyola roughly $272,000 each year for five years, for a total of more than $1.3 million, to support 140 underrepresented students per year. This is the second five-year award that TRIO has awarded to Loyola.

“I'm excited that the TRIO grant was renewed,” said Roi Dupart, a senior at Loyola who has received assistance through the school’s SSS Program. “My friends and I have leaned on the program’s support throughout college, and it’s made a huge difference. TRIO has helped me grow, not just academically but personally, too, and given me a space to connect with people who genuinely want to see each other succeed.”

Nationally, the SSS program has a proven track record, Curtis said. According to a 2019 evaluation by the U.S. Department of Education, students in the SSS Program at four-year institutions were 18 percent more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree compared to similar peers not in the program.

During the 2023-2024 school year, Loyola’s SSS Program achieved an 86-percent persistence rate, and 90 percent of enrolled participants met the performance level required to stay in good academic standing at Loyola. 

“TRIO programs, generally, and TRIO SSS, in particular, transform 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.”

For more information about the TRIO Student Support Services Program at Loyola, visit https://success.loyno.edu/services/trio-student-support-services or contact Monica Curtis at mlcurtis@loyno.edu.