Desert vista campus student support services, stem

Pima County Community College District received a $272,364 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education under the TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) Program (CFDA 84.042) effective September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2026. The award funds comprehensive support services delivered at the Desert Vista Campus in Tucson, Arizona, designed to enhance academic outcomes and retention for low-income, first-generation, and students with disabilities. These services include academic advising, tutoring, financial literacy instruction, and student success programming aimed at increasing graduation rates and facilitating transfer pathways from two-year to four-year institutions.

As a minority-serving and Hispanic-serving institution, Pima County Community College District leverages this funding to provide targeted interventions that address barriers to postsecondary completion for underrepresented student populations. The one-year grant represents part of the institution's broader federal TRIO portfolio, which also includes Upward Bound, Talent Search, and Child Care support initiatives. Through evidence-based student support programming, the institution works to improve academic potential, persistence, and ultimately increase the proportion of disadvantaged students successfully completing their postsecondary education goals.