Eligibility

TRiO/Student Support Services is funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant. As such, the Department of Education sets participation eligibility requirements. TRiO staff are here to help you apply - contact us if you have eligibility or application questions!

Students must meet ALL of the following requirements to qualify for the TRiO program:

  1. Must be enrolled as a Parkland College student. Concurrently enrolled and dual credit students may not be eligible.
  2. Must be enrolled full-time and demonstrate the ability to graduate within four years. 
  3. Must be in good standing with the college. This includes Financial Aid, Admissions, and Dean of Students.
  4. Must be US Citizen, permanent resident, or a student whose visa status allows you to be awarded federal financial aid. For clarification, please contact the TRiO director. 
  5. Must plan on graduating from Parkland within four years of entering the TRiO program.
  6. Must have an academic need for support services. An academic need may be defined as any ONE of the following:
    1. You have placed into a developmental (under 100-level) course at Parkland.
    2. You have a GED instead of a high school diploma, or have been out of school for five or more years.
    3. You have had failing grades in college, or a college GPA below 2.0.
    4. You have below-average scores on the ACT or SAT.
    5. You are an ESL (English as a second language) student.

Program participants must meet ONE of the following federal eligibility criteria:

  • Be a first-generation college student. This is defined as:
    - Your parents did not graduate from college with a 4-year degree, or
    - You did not live with your parents prior to the age of 18, or
    - You only lived with one parent and that parent did not graduate with 4-year degree. 
  • Demonstrated financial need according to federal income guidelines. If you receive the Pell or MAP grant you probably meet this guideline.
  • Have a documented disability and are registered with Parkland's Accessibility Services office.

The director of the program reserves the right to accept or deny potential program participants based on above qualifications. If you do not meet any or all of these qualifications and are still interested in becoming a participant, please contact the director of the program to discuss your options.

Want to become a member of TRiO?  Click HERE for the application.