Frequently Asked Questions - Student Support Services Program (2024)

1. What is the purpose of the Student Support Services Program?
2. What are the laws that govern the Student Support Services Program?
3. What is the application deadline for the competition?
4. Who is eligible to receive a SSS grant?
5. Are there competitive preference priorities in the competition?
6. What is the recommended page limit for applications?
7. Is an applicant allowed to submit multiple applications?
8. What kinds of activities can be supported with grant funds?
9. What is the duration of the average grant?
10. What is the average annual grant amount?
11. Are applicants required to have an indirect cost rate?
12. How are applicants required to present Federal and non-Federal expenditures?
13. In responding to the Quality of Project Design selection criterion, what type of evidence needs to be provided?
14. Is there a cost matching requirement? If so, are in-kind contributions acceptable as part of the grantee’s match?
15. Who is eligible to receive Prior Experience Points?
16. What are the reporting requirements for grantees? What kind of records and data should be maintained or collected in order to complete required reports?
17. Are there program-wide performance measures?
18. What are some ways to avoid common application mistakes?

The purpose of the Student Support Services Program (SSS) is to increase the number of disadvantaged low-income college students, first-generation college students, and college students with disabilities in the United States who successfully complete a program of study at the postsecondary level.

The SSS Program is authorized by the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008 [20 U.S.C. 1070a-11]. The law can be found here, and the regulations can be found here.

The deadline for transmittal of application is 11:59 pm ET on July 15, 2024.

An institution of higher education, or a consortia of institutions of higher education, is eligible to receive a grant to carry out a SSS project.

There will be two competitive preference priorities for a total of up to 8 points.

Competitive preference priority 1 is Meeting students social, emotional, and academic needs (up to 3 points).

To address this priority, an applicant may design a projects to improve students' social, emotional, academic, and career development needs, with a focus on underserved students, by creating education and work-based settings that are supportive, positive, identity-safe and inclusive, including with regard to race, ethnicity, culture, language, and disability status.

Competitive preference priority 2 is increasing postsecondary education access, affordability, completion and post-enrollment success (up to 5 points).

To address this priority, an applicant may design a project to increase postsecondary education access and reducing the cost of college by creating clearer pathways for students between institutions and making transfer of course credits more seamless and transparent (up to 2 points).

An applicant may also address this priority by establishing a system of high-quality data collection and analysis, such as data on enrollment, persistence, retention, completion, and post-college outcomes, for transparency, accountability, and institutional improvement (up to 3 points).

The recommended page limit for applications is 65 pages.

An applicant may submit multiple applications if each separate application describes a project that will serve a different campus or a different population to include students who are limited English proficient, students from groups that are historically underrepresented in postsecondary education, students with disabilities, students who are homeless children and youths, students who are in foster care or are aging out of the foster care system, and other disconnected students (section 402A(c)(5) of the HEA).

Under section 402A(h)(1) of the HEA, the term “different campus” means a site of an IHE that-–(a) is geographically apart from the main campus of the institution; (b) is permanent in nature; and (c) offers courses in educational programs leading to a degree, certificate, or other recognized educational credential.

A Student Support Services project must provide the following services:

• Academic tutoring, directly or through other services provided by the institution, to enable students to complete postsecondary courses, which may include instruction in reading, writing, study skills, mathematics, science, and other subjects.
• Advice and assistance in postsecondary course selection.
• Information on both the full range of Federal student financial aid programs and benefits (including Federal Pell Grant awards and loan forgiveness) and resources for locating public and private scholarships; and
• Assistance in completing financial aid applications, including the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Education or counseling services designed to improve the financial and economic literacy of students, including financial planning for postsecondary education.
• Activities designed to assist participants enrolled in four-year institutions of higher education in applying for admission to, and obtaining financial assistance for enrollment in, graduate and professional programs.
• Activities designed to assist students enrolled in two-year institutions of higher education in applying for admission to, and obtaining financial assistance for enrollment in, a four-year program of postsecondary education.

A Student Support Services project may provide the following services:

• Individualized counseling for personal, career, and academic matters provided by assigned counselors.
• Information, activities, and instruction designed to acquaint students participating in the project with the range of career options available to the students.
• Exposure to cultural events and academic programs not usually available to disadvantaged students.
• Mentoring programs involving faculty or upper-class students, or a combination thereof.
• Securing temporary housing during breaks in the academic year for—
• Students who are homeless children and youths or were formerly homeless children and youths; and foster care youths.
• Programs and activities specially designed for students who are limited English proficient, students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, students who are individuals with disabilities, students who are homeless children and youths, students who are foster care youth, or other disconnected students.

All SSS grants are funded for 60 months.

The estimated average grant amount is $324,456.

All grants awarded under the Student Support Services Program (84.042A) are designated as training grants. The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) limits reimbursem*nt to grantees for indirect costs they incur under training grants to the grantee’s actual indirect costs as determined by the grantee’s negotiated indirect cost agreement or a maximum of 8 percent of a modified total direct cost base, whichever is less. (NOTE: This limitation does not apply to State agencies, or local governments, or federally recognized Indian tribal governments. [§75.562(c) (2)].

All applicants must fill out the Project Budget Summary Form in the SSS Application Package which can found at Grants.gov/. Applicants must also provide a detailed budget narrative for the first year of the grant performance period. The narrative must address Federal expenditures and matching contributions.

In completing the Federal section of the Project Budget Summary Form, the total requested amounts in years two through five should not exceed the total requested amount in the first year. For example, if an applicant requests $300,000 in the first year, they cannot request more than $300,000 in each subsequent year.

In responding to this criterion, applicants should address how the design of the project demonstrates a rationale utilizing a logic model to demonstrate theoretical and operational relationships among the key project components and desired outcomes. Applicants should also address how they will achieve their intended goals and the ongoing efforts to examine the effects of the project components.

Generally, there is no cost matching requirement for grants funded under the Student Support Services Program. However, successful applicants that choose to use SSS Program funds to provide grant aid to students must provide matching funds, in cash, from non-federal funds source(s), in an amount that is not less than 33 percent of the total amount of the SSS Program funds used for this aid. This matching requirement does not apply to a grant recipient that is an institution of higher education eligible to receive funds under Part A or Part B of Title III or under Title V of the Higher Education Act (HEA).

The Secretary will award up to 15 prior experience points to applicants that have conducted an SSS Program project within the last three Federal government fiscal years, based on their documented experience. Prior experience points, if any, will be added to the application’s averaged reader score to determine the total score for each application.

All SSS Program grantees are required to submit an annual performance report documenting the persistence and degree attainment of their participants. Since students may take different lengths of time to complete their degrees, multiple years of performance report data are needed to determine the degree completion rates of SSS Program participants. The Department of Education will aggregate the data provided in the annual performance reports from all grantees to determine the accomplishment level.

All SSS Program grantees are required to maintain participant records that show—

• The basis for the grantee's determination that each participant is eligible to participate in the program if the student meets all of the following requirements:

1. Is a citizen or national of the United States or meets the residency requirements for Federal student financial assistance.
2. Is enrolled at the grantee institution or accepted for enrollment in the next academic term at that institution.
3. Has a need for academic support, as determined by the grantee, in order to pursue successfully a postsecondary educational program.
4. Is—
1. A low-income individual;
2. A first-generation college student; or
3. An individual with disabilities;
4. The grantee's basis for determining the academic need for each participant;
5. The services that are provided to each participant;
6. The performance and progress of each participant by cohort for the duration of the participant's attendance at the grantee institution; and
7. To the extent practicable, any services the participant receives during the project year from another Federal TRIO program or another federally funded program that serves populations similar to those served under the SSS program.

The success of the Student Support Services Program is measured by the postsecondary persistence and degree completion rates of SSS participants that remain at the grantee institution.

In every SSS competition, applicants make avoidable mistakes that result in their application being rejected. To help reduce the chances that an application will be rejected for an avoidable mistake, please consider the following best practices:

Submit your application in advance of the deadline. Applications that are not fully uploaded and time-stamped by 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time on the application deadline date of July 15, 2024, are considered late and are rejected. Follow the instructions in the Application Package and Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on December 7, 2022 (87 FR 75045) and available here.

Check your ability to submit an application and verify your System for Award Management (SAM) registration before the application deadline date. An applicant needs a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number in order to submit an application. If you do not have one, or need to renew one, the process can take weeks. Successful registration in SAM is a prerequisite to being able to register in Grants.gov and submit an application electronically. Please consult the Application Package for more information.

Adequately address the program requirements in the Notice Inviting Applications. Applications that fail to adequately address the program requirements are considered incomplete and will be rejected.

TRIO Home