TRIO programs provide opportunity, not a maintenance of poverty. TRIO programs are integrated into the higher education system. TRIO provides tools and orientation to move individuals to economic independence. TRIO programs serve to improve higher education and make it more reflective of society. TRIO programs are focused on attainment of a college degree, not artificial assistance or support.
TRIO programs help students to overcome class, social, cultural and academic barriers.
Many students come to TRIO from neighborhoods which are filled with violence, discouragement, negativity, and hopelessness. Many students in the TRIO Talent Search Program and the TRIO Upward Bound Program are accustomed to school systems which are underfunded and understaffed. A single-parent raising several children, an older child helping to raise younger siblings, a physically disabled person with few financial resources, and a struggling high school student trying to escape a life of poverty describes the young people and adults who turn to the TRIO programs for help and special assistance. Each program's continued funding is dependent upon meeting quantifiable objectives related to college entrance and graduation rates. Like other college graduates, TRIO grads are working in business, industry, and government.