Virginia Union University is the winner of a $1.2 million federal grant to assist Richmond high school students to gain admission to college, it was announced Wednesday.

To be spread over five years, the U.S. Department of Education grant will allow the university to establish a Talent Search program in partnership with Richmond Public Schools, according to Dr. Joseph F. Johnson, acting VUU president.

He said the grant would be used to help prepare selected college-bound students with tutoring and advice and to aid them in applying and acquiring financial aid for college.

Students participating in the Talent Search program also would receive intensive mentoring, he said.

“We are excited to receive this significant funding that will support Virginia Union’s commitment to providing access to higher education for talented students who are underserved,” Dr. Johnson said.

The grant to VUU is one of 459 Talent Search grants that the federal education agency awarded this year to assist low-income students to go college.

Talent Search is one element of the federal TRiO programs that were developed to improve opportunities for disadvantaged students to succeed in higher education.

VUU currently operates two other TRiO programs, Upward Bound and Student Support Services, Dr. Johnson said,

He said VUU’s Upward Bound program serves high school students from low-income families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree. Participants, among other things, receive on-campus tutoring and counseling.

VUU’s Student Support Services program, he said, focuses on assisting the academic development of first-generation college students enrolled at the school.