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Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)

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What is EOP?

The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) is designed to improve access and retention of historically low-income and educationally disadvantaged students. EOP students have the potential and demonstrated motivation to perform satisfactorily at a CSU, but they have not been able to realize their fullest potential because of their economic or educational background. The program provides admission and academic assistance to EOP-eligible undergraduate students. In many cases, the program offers financial assistance to eligible students. Campuses tailor their programs to accommodate the needs of their student population.

Use the EOP Application Worksheet to help complete your EOP application. Visit the About EOP site to learn more about EOP and about your eligibility for EOP.

Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)

Indicate if you are currently enrolled in an EOP at CSU. If you select Yes, select the campus you attended from the drop-down.

Do you wish to apply to the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)?

These questions are intended to gauge your interest in an EOP and are related to your family, language proficiency, and financial history. Select an answer for each question.

Parent/Guardian/Independent Information & Financial Status

Enter information about your parent and/or guardians. If a question does not apply to you, please type “Does Not Apply” in the answer field.

Financial status information is used to determine your history of low-income eligibility for EOP. All applicants must complete this section and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or, if applicable, the California Dream Act application. EOP may request additional forms of documentation to verify self-reported income. In addition, parental income information is required for all students, including those considered independent for financial purposes. Applications missing any of this information may not be considered.

Note that Total Income = Adjusted Gross Income + Untaxed Income.

  1. Enter the appropriate income requirements and estimates for 2020 and 2021.
  2. Enter the current number of members in your household.
  3. Indicate if you are independent of parental support. If you select Yes, enter responses regarding your income, household size, and number of dependents.
  4. In the space provided, briefly describe your family's economic background, including information about your financial challenges. This information is used to determine your motivation and willingness to undertake college work. Use complete sentences and avoid simple answers such as just "Yes" or "No." Your response is limited to 500 characters.
  5. Enter brief responses for the subsequent short answer questions. Use complete sentences and avoid simple answers such as just "Yes" or "No." Each response is limited to 1,000 characters.

EOP Biographical Questions

Use the spaces provided to answer the five autobiographical questions below. Use complete sentences and avoid responses such as "yes" or "no."

  1. Briefly describe your family's economic background. Include information about your financial challenges.
  2. Why would you like to attend college? Discuss your career and personal goals. Are there any particular circumstances, school experiences, or persons that influenced your preparation or motivation to attend college (e.g., cultural/financial background, family, teachers, schools you attended)? Please explain.
  3. Briefly discuss your academic background. Did you utilize any additional support at your high school, such as tutoring? Do your grades in high school and/or college reflect your academic ability or potential?
  4. List any volunteer, extracurricular activities, or work experience in which you are or have been involved in the past two years.
  5. Is there any additional information you would like EOP to consider in determining your admission to the program?

Important Reminder

Applicants may complete and submit their Cal State Apply application and then later return to complete the EOP portion of the application. To ensure that you submit your EOP application on time, please refer to the campus-specific EOP Admission by Term information.

If you are applying to EOP after you have already submitted your main application, you must return to the dashboard and click Update My Application in order for your updates to be received by Cal State Apply staff. Only updates to your EOP application will be considered after your initial submission.

EOP Recommendations

Recommendations are required for EOP applicants only. You must enter two (2) recommendation requests to submit your EOP application. One recommendation must be from an academic counselor/teacher that can comment on your academic preparedness for university academic work. The second recommendation can be from an individual who can comment about your potential to succeed in college (e.g., a counselor, a teacher, community member, or employer). Recommendations from family members are not accepted.

Add A Recommendation Request

  1. Navigate to the EOP Recommendations section.
  2. Click Create EOP Recommendation Request.
  3. Enter the recommender's information, including a valid email address.
  4. The EOP deadline date will automatically select a date two weeks after your request (e.g., if you request the EOP recommendation on March 1, the EOP deadline date automatically selects March 15). You cannot change this default date. If this date passes, your recommender will still be able to submit the recommendation. Note the preferred EOP document and recommendation deadline dates below:
    • For applicants applying to a Fall Term: January 15th unless otherwise noted on the EOP Admission site.
    • For applicants applying to a Spring Term: August 31st (the same as the application deadline).
    • For applicants applying to a Winter Term: June 30th (the same as the application deadline).
  5. Enter a personal message to your recommender (e.g., "Thank you for completing this for me!")
  6. Choose whether or not you waive your right of access to the recommendation. See Waiver below.
  7. Check the boxes to indicate that you give permission for Cal State Apply and the campuses you are applying to contact your recommenders directly.
  8. Click Save this EOP Recommendation request.

Waiver

The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) gives you the right to access recommendations unless you choose to waive your right of inspection and review. Prior to requesting any recommendations, you are required to indicate whether you wish to waive your rights. Cal State Apply will release your decision to waive or not waive access to your recommenders and designated programs. Your waiver decision serves the same purpose as a legal signature and is binding.

Selecting Yes indicates to programs that your recommender completed their recommendation with the understanding that you would not be able to view it. This means you will not be able to see the content of the recommendation.

Selecting No indicates to programs that your recommender completed their recommendation with the understanding that you may choose to view it in the future. Selecting this option does not allow you to view your recommendation via the application.

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