REDDING, Calif.—Simpson University has received its sixth federal grant in three years designed to help students stay in school, graduate and find meaningful employment.

The university was notified in August it will receive $1.3 million over five years in federal TRIO grant funding for the Student Support Services (SSS) program. In 2017, Simpson was awarded $10 million to administer multi-year Upward Bound and GEAR UP programs that directly benefit North State middle and high school students.

The TRIO SSS grant will provide resources for a cohort of 150 Simpson University students, including academic tutoring, guidance in selecting postsecondary academic courses; information about and assistance with scholarships and financial aid; counseling to improve financial and economic literacy; and help with applications for graduate and professional programs, among other services.

The goal of the SSS program is to increase the post-secondary persistence and graduation rates of students who are the first in their families to attend college or who might face economic hardship in attending college.

“We are thrilled to be able to provide a higher level of resources and services to a number of our students through this TRIO grant,” President Norman Hall said. “Simpson University strives to provide personalized instruction to help ensure students’ success after they graduate, and this grant will be a tremendous help in allowing us to do that with further excellence.”

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Simpson University, a Christian university founded in 1921, moved to Redding 31 years ago and will celebrate its centennial in 2021. In addition to offering 20 majors in its traditional undergraduate program, the university has graduated more than 4,000 North State adults from its ASPIRE degree-completion program, and nearly 3,000 from its School of Education. It has a No. 7-ranked School of Nursing, a seminary, and master’s programs in counseling psychology and organizational leadership. Simpson University is recognized nationally as one of U.S. News and World Report’s Top 100 Regional Universities West. The university is launching new programs in digital media, computer information systems, and engineering, and recently added athletics programs in track and field, swimming and diving, women’s wrestling, and men’s volleyball, as well as a bass fishing team ranked No. 1 in California and No. 26 in the nation. The university has a highly ranked Veterans Success Center and partnership with the Army National Guard. Simpson University contributes an estimated $50 million annually to Redding’s economy. It offers aggressive scholarships and is working to better serve transfer students from community colleges through its commitment to Associate Degree for Transfer agreements. Learn more about Simpson University at simpsonu.edu.