What is TRIO?
The Federal TRIO Programs are educational opportunity outreach programs designed to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds to attain higher education. The goals and mission of the programs are to serve and assist low-income, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post baccalaureate programs.

Mills TRIO Programs: Upward Bound and METS

The two pre-college TRIO Programs located at Mills College are Upward Bound, established in 1965, and Mills Educational Talent Search (METS), established in 1998. The mission of the Mills College TRIO Programs is to prepare Oakland students to be academically and emotionally successful throughout their high school careers in order to graduate successfully from college. To that end, we offer a variety of free services that support our program participants as they complete high school and transition to college.

Services Provided by Mills TRIO Programs

• College, academic, and career advising
• College application assistance
• Financial aid information and assistance
• Scholarships information and application assistance
• College tours and visits from college representatives
• Educational and cultural activities and field trips (visits to museums, plays, etc)
• Other preparation and services as needed (i.e., tutoring, workshops, summer programs, test preparation, referrals to other community services)