SC State University awarded $1.5 million TRIO grant to support low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities
Student Support Services at SC State serves 160 federally eligible students each year.
The competitive TRIO Student Support Services grant, awarded for a five-year cycle beginning Sept. 1, 2025, will provide academic and personal support to low-income, first-generation college students and students with disabilities.
Barbara A. Jefferson, project director and long-standing leader of SC State’s Student Support Services, authored the successful proposal, which received a score of 331 out of a possible 339 points — equivalent to 97.6 percent.
“We are proud to have earned one of the highest scores nationally,” Jefferson said. “This funding will allow us to continue the legacy of helping motivated students persist to graduation.”
Student Support Services at SC State serves 160 federally eligible students each year, offering a wide array of wraparound services designed to promote academic achievement, financial literacy, career exploration and personal development. Services include:
- One-on-one academic tutoring and mentoring.
- Assistance with financial aid applications and locating scholarship opportunities.
- Guidance in postsecondary course selection and graduate school admissions.
- Counseling in personal, academic and career planning.
- Exposure to cultural enrichment and educational events.
“This grant not only reinforces our institutional commitment to access and equity,” Jefferson said, “but it also reflects SC State’s historic role in supporting first-generation and underserved student populations.”
Originally known as Special Services Partners in Educational Progress (PEP), the program has played a vital role in helping students navigate and succeed in higher education. TRIO programs like Student Support Services date back to the Higher Education Act of 1965 and remain essential to leveling the educational playing field for underrepresented students.
To be eligible for Student Support Services, students must be enrolled or accepted into a postsecondary program at SC State and meet federal criteria as low-income, first-generation or students with disabilities. By regulation, two-thirds of participants must be both low-income and first-generation, or have a documented disability. One-third of students with disabilities must also be from low-income households.
An SC State alumna, Jefferson holds a Bachelor of Science in mathematics education (1999) and a Master of Education in counseling education (2005). Since joining the university in 2002 as a tutorial coordinator, she has led the program to national recognition, securing nearly $6 million in federal funding.
Dr. David Staten, associate provost for academic affairs, praised the grant’s impact on student success.
“This funding represents a continued investment in the success of our most vulnerable student populations,” Staten said. “Ms. Jefferson’s leadership and tireless advocacy ensure that our students have the tools, resources and support systems they need to achieve their academic and personal goals.”
The university’s senior leadership echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the strategic importance of federally funded programs like TRIO in advancing SC State’s academic mission.
“This TRIO grant award affirms the university’s mission to promote access and excellence,” said Dr. Frederick M. Evans, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Student Support Services is a pillar of our academic infrastructure, and I commend Ms. Jefferson for her outstanding work in advancing SC State’s legacy of equity and achievement.”
For more information, contact: Barbara A. Jefferson Director, Student Support Services 803-516-4529 bjefferson@scsu.edu