FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas received notification from Congressman Steve Womack’s office that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded five-year funding for three Talent Search programs, totaling $4,670,400.

Talent Search is one of eight “TRIO” programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The University of Arkansas Talent Search grants serve 37 target schools.

The program, within the Division of Student Affairs, is an early intervention, educational opportunity program serving students in grades 6-12 in partnering target schools. Talent Search promotes skills and the completion of a rigorous high school curriculum, and disseminates information necessary for successfully entering college and completing a baccalaureate degree. Students are prepared for success in higher education through an emphasis on personal/career development, financial literacy, technological/academic skills, and ACT readiness through college preparatory workshops. Campus visits, academic monitoring/advising, and guidance in the completion of college and financial aid applications serve the individual needs of participants, two-thirds of which must be low-income and first-generation-to-college. 

Talent Search was first funded at the University of Arkansas in 1991. In 2015, there were 449 Talent Search programs in the nation, with 11 in Arkansas and three at the Fayetteville campus. In the previous five-years, the U of A Talent Search programs have demonstrated success in averaging a college-going rate of 86.4%. In the upcoming grants, the programs will serve more than 2,300 middle and high school students annually.