EOP
Definition of Eligibility
Students supported by EOP allocations must meet minimum economic and
educational eligibility criteria for admission. They must also have been
residents of New York State for twelve months prior to their day of
registration in college; are now a New York State resident who will be
an undergraduate and who lived in New York State when they entered
military service, Vista of the Peace Corps and reestablished New York
State residence within six months after release from service.
The eligibility standards set forth apply only at the time of
admission as a first-time freshman to a program. Once admitted, a
student may continue to receive supportive services as needed, even if
the family income rises above the current eligibility standards.
However, a student’s economic status shall be reviewed under a
recognized needs analysis system each year and appropriate adjustments
made in the student’s financial aid package.
Each campus shall select its EOP students in accordance with the
Educational Opportunity Program General Plan and Guidelines and its
campus EOP general plan. Academic eligibility statements filed with the
Office of Special Programs are used to determine whether admissions
requirements have been met, and changes in those eligibility statements
must be reported to the Office of Special Programs prior to their
utilization.
Each campus is expected to give priority to applicants from families
characterized by historical, educational, economic and cultural
disadvantages, which implies that either the family has endured
long-term economic deprivation or that the student represents a
population segment underrepresented in higher education, or both.
Families in this deprived status are generally characterized by
inadequate schooling, little or no accumulation of assets and the
inability to provide for more than the basic needs of family members.
Separation, divorce, or death of a wage earner in the calendar year
prior to the academic year for which eligibility is being determined,
and an accompanying decrease in family income below the EOP guidelines
do not necessarily satisfy the historical disadvantages
characteristically expected of EOP students. EOP Directors must approve
these cases after review and recommendation by their financial aid
office. The program director, in cooperation with the Director of
Financial Aid, shall have the discretion of making a professional
judgment as to whether a family is historically, economically and
culturally disadvantaged in determining an applicant’s admissibility
into EOP. There shall be no discrimination in admission decisions based
on race, age, creed, religion, marital status, national origin, color,
sex or disability.
