The U.S. Department of Education awarded Cal Poly a $1.45 million grant last week to help disadvantaged students afford tuition.
The grant, spread over the course of five years, will help low-income first-generation students pay their college tuition. It will benefit more than 200 new and continuing students each year, dispersing $289,235 annually.
Student Support Services (SSS), a branch of Student Academic Services (SAS) has been responsible for aiding students in need for more than 30 years. Though the Department of Education’s grant is only available for first generation low-income students, SSS has programs set up for students with other disadvantages or disabilities, SAS director Nelda Olvera said in an email.
“Student participants can receive advising, academic tutoring, counseling services, financial literacy support, mentoring programs and graduate school exposure,” Olvera said.
According to the SSS website, it “is designed to assist participants with enhancing their academic skills, increase their retention and graduation rates and promote graduate and professional school programs.”
The SSS building is located on the bottom of campus at the intersection of Perimeter Road and Cuesta Avenue. Interested students can walk in, call or visit their website.