News
Loyola Awarded $1.3M for First-Generation Students
NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Loyola University New Orleans a $1.3 million grant to boost retention and graduation rates among low-income, first-generation, and disabled students.
The funding comes through the federal Student Support Services (SSS) Program, part of the Department’s TRIO Programs, which provide targeted assistance to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. At Loyola, SSS offers academic tutoring, financial aid and scholarship guidance, career exploration, and personal and academic counseling and mentoring.
The grant will provide the university’s Pan-American Life Student Success Center about $272,000 per year for five years to support 140 underrepresented students annually. It marks the second consecutive five-year award Loyola has received through TRIO.
The grant aligns with Loyola’s broader student success initiatives, including its First-Year Seminar program and the Pan-American Life Student Success Center’s academic coaching and peer mentoring efforts, all aimed at improving retention and equity outcomes.
Loyola is among more than 1,000 colleges and universities nationwide that receive federal funding for TRIO Student Support Services, a program established in 1968 to expand access to higher education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Louisiana institutions currently host more than 30 TRIO Student Support Services programs serving thousands of college students each year, according to the Council for Opportunity in Education.
Nationally, the SSS program has a proven track record, Curtis said. A 2019 U.S. Department of Education evaluation found that students in the program at four-year institutions were 18 percent more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than similar peers not enrolled in SSS.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, Loyola’s SSS Program achieved an 86 percent persistence rate, and 90 percent of participants met the performance level required to remain in good academic standing.
“TRIO programs, generally, and TRIO SSS, in particular, transform students from the least resourced backgrounds into college graduates,” said Kimberly Jones, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington, D.C. “This vital program makes all the difference for nearly a million students each year across the country.”
As Loyola students and national advocates attest, the TRIO SSS Program’s long-standing impact extends from individual success stories to systemic change in higher education.
“With comprehensive supports in place for these scholars, they are significantly more likely to complete their first bachelor’s degree,” Curtis added.
The grant reflects Loyola’s Jesuit mission of promoting social justice, opportunity, and academic excellence by ensuring that every student—regardless of circumstance—has the tools to succeed and serve others.
For more information about the TRIO Student Support Services Program at Loyola, visit https://success.loyno.edu/services/trio-student-support-services.
Loyola at a Glance
- Enrollment: 4,322 (total): 3,032 undergraduates; 555 graduate students; 73 Doctoral students; 615 law students; and 47 continuing education students
- Faculty: 89 percent of full-time faculty hold highest degree.
- Student-Faculty Ratio: 13:1
- Degree Programs: Almost 100 programs and 27 graduate and professional programs
- 60+ Study Abroad Countries: Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Rwanda, Spain, South Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, the UK, and more
- Campus: 24 acres on historic oak-lined St. Charles Avenue in Uptown New Orleans; directly across from Audubon Park and Audubon Zoo, with expansive green space and lagoons, golf course, tennis courts and riding stables; 20 minutes from the French Quarter and downtown New Orleans
- Athletics: Division I of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics with 21 varsity sports
- Student Life: 115+ student organizations, clubs and intramural sports
About Loyola University New Orleans
Founded in 1912, Loyola University New Orleans is a nationally recognized Jesuit institution known for its rigorous academics, commitment to social justice, and strong liberal arts foundation. The university offers a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare students to lead with purpose and make a positive impact in their communities and professions.
