About UWM TRIO and Pre-College Programs
The UWM TRIO & Pre-College Programs provide eligible participants with educational access, services, and opportunities through tutoring, academic skill building and instruction, college visits, and residential experiences – including housing and meals. Programs provide access to individual participants and their families without regard to gender, ethnicity, disability, or socioeconomic status. The goal of information, support, and academic service provision is to increase the number of diverse individuals who will complete their high school education and attend and graduate from college. Our firm belief, and the premise of our work, is that education empowers communities to inspire future generations to effect positive personal and social change and growth.
While the need for post-secondary education is acknowledged as mandatory to the success of many individuals, the fact remains that there are persistent gaps among students, especially across racial/ethnic groups and in relation to family finances, that affect educational aspirations, college enrollment, retention and graduation rates. Since the late 1960s, pre-college programs have been present on the UWM campus to address these gaps and increase access to higher education and degree completion. Throughout that time, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has funded hundreds of thousands of students’ participation in program activities. Over the years, and driven largely by the Higher Education Act of 1965, programming expanded to include federally funded TRIO programs, adding additional support and educational services for disadvantaged students to promote academic excellence and college attendance.
Today the UWM TRIO & Pre-College umbrella encompasses 14 distinct programs serving K-12 youth and adults, and UWM is home to 6 of the 8 TRIO programs that are administered and funded by the United States Department of Education nationwide.
