Student Support Services (SSS) is a federally funded program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and hosted by the University of Mary. SSS is designed to increase both the retention and graduation rates of college students who are low-income and/or first generation, or qualified under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Student Support Services program is authorized by the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the 1998 Higher Education Act Amendments under the title of Federal TRIO Programs.

The SSS grant helps institutions like the University of Mary provide a wide array of academic and non-academic supplemental services to its large population of low-income and first generation students. The services provided by the SSS Program include the following:

• Academic advising
• Personal advising
• Financial aid advising
• Career advising
• Pre-registration assistance
• College level courses designed to strengthen reading and writing skills
• Computerized courses to strengthen reading, writing, and math skills
• Pre-professional skills test preparation (PPST) for education majors
• Graduate school information
• Peer tutorial services
• Professional tutorial services
• Cultural/educational outings
• Tuition overload waivers available for all SSS courses
• Free textbooks provided for all SSS courses
• Computer lab and color laser printer for participants
• Supplemental financial grant aid for first- and second-year students (The availability of the grant aid is dependent on annual appropriations from the federal government and the student must be a Pell Grant recipient with un-met need.)
• Summer sneak preview courses primarily for eligible incoming freshmen