MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The U.S. Department of Education awarded the University of Memphis more than $2 million in grant money to go toward improving retention and graduation rates of first-generation, low-income and disabled students.
The $2,255,525 grant was designated for the university’s Student Success Programs. SSP provides resources and mentoring to students in need and tries to minimize student loan debt in order to help keep the students in college until they earn their bachelor’s degrees.
SSP will use the grant money in its TRIO programs, a national set of programs that support students from disadvantaged backgrounds through tutoring, counseling, mentoring and financial guidance. More than 2,800 programs across the country serve about 790,000 students from sixth grade through college.