DOVER — The U.S. Department of Education announced recently that Delaware State University is among 17 colleges and universities to be awarded funding under the First in the World grant program.

As part of that program, DSU will receive $2.64 million that will be used in support of its Access to Success initiative, which seeks to increase the applications, enrollment and retention in postsecondary education of at-risk and underrepresented students who are from low-income families and would be first-generation college students.

“A major part of the land-grant legacy of Delaware State University is to provide access to underrepresented students,” said DSU President Harry L. Williams.

“This grant demonstrates that DSU and the Obama administration are on the same page when it comes to better preparing first-generation and at-risk students for higher education, as well as helping them to stay in school and graduate.

DSU’s Access to Success program partners the University with the American College Application Campaign, ACT (a nonprofit education organization), and the National Student Clearinghouse.

The partnership will develop a college match and fit tool and implement a postsecondary enrollment model that high school guidance counselors can use to assist at-risk students in determining a list of institutions from which they are most likely to be enroll and graduated following high school.

The First in the World grant program is part of the Obama Administration’s ambitious agenda to drive innovation and keep a higher education within reach for all Americans.

“We all know that innovation can take many forms and as a key part of the administration’s goal to promote college access and affordability, the First in the World program aims to support a wide range of innovation to improve student outcomes,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.