Educational Opportunity Program

For more than 50 years, the Central Connecticut State University's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) has provided access, academic support and scholarship opportunities to students who show promise for succeeding in a college but who may not otherwise been offered admission. Available primarily to full-time, matriculated students, the program supports students throughout their college careers within the University.

Mission

The Education Opportunity Program’s mission is to provide a diverse population of first-generation and underserved students access to higher education by preparing them to meet academic, personal, and social standards.

What is EOP?

The EOP program assists high school graduates or general equivalency diploma (GED) recipients who are the first in their family to attend college, are low-income or are from groups traditionally under-represented at the university level, enroll at Central.

Admissions staff identify students applying to Central who demonstrate the motivation for success in college if provided continued opportunities to build academic skills. These students are referred to EOP staff who interview and select students for conditional admission into Central by inviting them to participate in a summer bridge experience prior to starting in the fall as first-year students.

During the summer, students:

• Reside on campus in a residence hall from Sunday to Friday afternoon.
• Are exposed to college-level coursework and receive academic, social, emotional, and personalized support and instruction in writing, math, and wellness, while also participating in workshops focused on financial literacy, logic, probability, critical thinking, career exploration, time management, and decision-making.
• Are provided with waivers for tuition, food, and housing costs, earning the equivalent of over $6,000 in scholarship money during the summer.

Students who complete the summer successfully (with a GPA of at least 2.00) matriculate as a freshman in the fall and receive ongoing program support until graduation.

Program Focus

The EOP Program:

• Provides a pathway to higher education for students that are the first in their families to attend college, that are from low-income backgrounds, or who are from groups traditionally underrepresented at the university level.
• Foster a smooth transition from high school to the university by strengthening participants' academic and social skills to foster college success.
• Assists students in building English and math skills through faculty instruction and tutoring
• Provides students with opportunities to build networks and lifelong friendships
• Provides workshops that will aid in a students’ transition to becoming a successful and responsible citizen.
• Provides personalized academic support that exposes students to financial wellness through graduation.