Educational Talent Search

What Educational Talent Search does

Educational Talent Search (KU TRIO Talent Search) is a federally funded college access program operated by the University of Kansas's Center for Educational Opportunity Programs. Established in 1988, it serves approximately 950 middle and high school students annually across 12 Kansas City Kansas Public Schools in Wyandotte County, Kansas, targeting first-generation and low-income students pursuing postsecondary education. The program delivers free advising, college preparation, summer programs (Career Horizons, Discover Technology), family workshops, virtual programming, and the YES Scholars scholarship partnership with Kansas City Kansas Community College. All services are provided at no cost under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, funded through a U.S. Department of Education TRIO Talent Search grant. The program is an institutional department within the University of Kansas, a public state university, with no independent ownership structure.

Name

Educational Talent Search

Legal name

TRIO Talent Search - Center for Educational Opportunity Programs, The University of Kansas

Website

https://triotalentsearch.ku.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

KU TRIO Talent Search is a federally funded college access program serving approximately 950 students annually across 12 Kansas City Kansas Public Schools, providing free college preparation, advising, summer programs, and the YES Scholars scholarship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

College Access and Preparation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Career Readiness & College Prep (In-School) (EDAJAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Test Prep & Exam Readiness (K–12) (EDAJALAC), After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs) (EDAJALAM), Virtual Test Prep & Online Supplemental Instruction (K–12) (EDAJADAI)

Keywords

• College access services
• College preparation programs
• Academic advising services
• Scholarship programs
• Talent search program

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Funding: TRIO Programs are funded through the U.S. Department of Education under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The University of Kansas is one of more than 1,200 colleges, universities, community colleges, and agencies that offer TRIO programs in the United States.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Educational Talent Search (KU TRIO Talent Search) is a federally funded, free college access program operated by the University of Kansas that serves middle and high school students in the Kansas City Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS) system. The program delivers academic advising, career exploration, college preparation, ACT/SAT preparation, financial aid and FAFSA assistance, scholarship search support, college visits, family workshops, and virtual programming, along with specialized summer programs (Career Horizons for 6th graders and Discover Technology for 7th graders) and the YES Scholars scholarship partnership with Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Product overview

TRIO Talent Search is a free college access program offered by the University of Kansas that provides a suite of services to help students in Wyandotte County pursue post-secondary education. The program consists of core services including Middle & High School Student Advising, Senior Services, Family Services, and Virtual Programming. Additionally, the program offers specialized summer programs (Career Horizons for 6th graders and Discover Technology for 7th graders) and the YES Scholars scholarship program in partnership with Kansas City Kansas Community College. All services are designed to support low-income, first-generation students in preparing for and accessing college.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• YES Scholars: A scholarship program for youth who demonstrate potential for academic success and want to prepare for post-secondary education. Partnership between KU TRIO Talent Search and Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC).
• Discover Technology
• Career Horizons

Products and services

• Middle & High School Services
• Senior Services
• Family Services
• Virtual Programming
• Career Horizons Summer Program
• Discover Technology Summer Program
• YES Scholars Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 950 students served annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe YES Scholarship Program is a partnership between KU TRIO Talent Search and Kansas City Kansas Community College. Each year, thirty 8th-grade students from KCKPS are selected to become YES Scholars. Upon completion of program requirements (3-day summer program at KCKCC, 100 hours of community service, yearly family engagement activities, advising, tutoring if needed, academic workshops), YES Scholars earn a two-year scholarship to attend KCKCC.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• College Board (BigFuture / SAT Suite): Operates the SAT and PSAT and runs the BigFuture college access platform. A broader incumbent in the same college-readiness ecosystem, offering complementary but not identical services at national scale.

Direct peers

• TRIO Upward Bound (University of Kansas): Sister TRIO program at the same University of Kansas host institution, also serving KCK-area students through federal Title IV funding. Directly comparable mission, funding structure, and host-organization context.
• TRIO Educational Opportunity Centers (University of Kansas): Companion TRIO program at KU serving adult learners with college access and financial aid support. Shares the same federal TRIO funding framework and University of Kansas CEOP host environment.
• College Possible: National nonprofit providing intensive college access coaching for low-income and first-generation students, with similar advising, test prep, and college application support services. Most comparable private nonprofit peer by mission and service mix.
• Bottom Line: Nonprofit college access and success organization serving first-generation students from low-income backgrounds. Comparable mission, near-peer advising model, and outcome-driven approach to college persistence.
• GEAR UP KCK (University of Kansas): Another federally funded college-access program housed at the University of Kansas, targeting the same Wyandotte County / KCKPS student population. Operates an adjacent but overlapping cohort-prep mission.
• TRIO Talent Search programs (national network): More than 1,200 institutions operate TRIO Talent Search programs nationwide under the same federal framework. These programs offer the closest direct comparison on mission, funding, and student outcomes.

Others

• Council for Opportunity in Education (COE): National advocacy and support organization for TRIO programs. Relevant as the policy and funding voice for the TRIO network that this program depends on, rather than a direct service competitor.

Emerging players

• iMentor: Nonprofit pairing low-income students with mentors for college readiness. Shares the college access mission and first-generation focus but delivers primarily through a mentoring model rather than in-school advising.
• CollegeSpring: Nonprofit combining SAT/ACT prep with college advising for low-income and first-generation students. Comparable in its dual focus on test prep and college access advising for similar student populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TRIOTalentSearchKU
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/educational-talent-search

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Educational Talent Search