Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)

Location:  Haggerty Administration Building, Room 19
Phone: 845-257-3220 or 845-257-3226
Fax: 845-257-3273
Email: eop@newpaltz.edu

What is EOP?

The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) is a New York State-sponsored program designed to assist students who show promise and potential for academic success at the college level and demonstrate both an academic and historical financial need for assistance in order to attend college. Most EOP students are first-generation college students. Although each campus program is slightly different, all campuses participating in EOP offer financial aid for room, board, and other expenses and may offer such support services as tutoring; personal, academic and career counseling; and diagnostic testing to determine students' academic needs.

EOP at New Paltz

Our Mission

The EOP serves as a primary vehicle to increase access, retention, and the academic excellence of New York students experiencing academic and financial barriers to higher education. This is in keeping with the spirit of, and abiding by, the legislative intent that originally established the program in 1968 and maintaining the innovation inherent in the program.

We provide:

1. ACCESS to opportunities for students experiencing academic and financial barriers by making higher education a possibility for prospective students with potential for academic excellence.
2. ADVOCACY and education to address the needs of EOP students.
3. A TRANSITIONAL EXPERIENCE that will empower students to better manage and navigate the college experience.
4. SUPPORT SERVICES to facilitate student success.
5. EOP GRANTS to eligible students, who should also receive the highest priority for financial aid resources available from the institution.

Our Vision

In collaboration with SUNY New Paltz, the Educational Opportunity Program staff will serve as advocates for student access to higher education. EOP provides services designed to meet student needs and develop and achieve educational goals. We assist students in acquiring the necessary skills, knowledge, and attributes to enter and complete a postsecondary education, while providing an environment that recognizes the diversity of backgrounds and learning styles of our students. Our development of collaborative institutional relationships promote an environment conducive to the completion of a postsecondary degree.

Our Goal

The goal of EOP at New Paltz is to provide the most comprehensive support to our students within the Guiding Principles of Student Affairs.

Our Promise

EOP is committed to the ongoing education of the whole student. Personal growth and development are integral to academic excellence, lifetime achievement, and well-being. The P.I.L.L.A.R.S. (Providing Insight for Learning, Living, Achieving, and Recognizing my Strengths) model of student advisement ensures that the advisor/student collaboration provides a strong foundation for continued success and personal growth in all aspects of our students' lives: Present and Future. "Once EOP...Always EOP!"

EOP Admission Criteria

General Requirements

• You must be a legal resident of New York State for 12 months prior to enrollment.
• You must attend and graduate from a New York State-recognized high school.
• You must be eligible academically and financially to be reviewed for EOP admission.

EOP Freshmen Information

Freshmen Academic Eligibility Requirements

The Office of Undergraduate Admission will make a determination on your academic eligibility for EOP admission. 

You must have a minimum of a 75.0 cumulative high school average in the following college preparatory program:

• 4 units of English
• 3-4 units of social studies/history
• 3-4 units of mathematics (Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II/Trigonometry)
• 3-4 units of science (three units of lab science)
• 2-4 units of a language other than English

Freshmen Family Financial Eligibility

The Office of Student Financial Services will make a determination on your financial eligibility for EOP admission. 

• The most recent EOP financial eligibility guidelines can be found online.
• Submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Submit your completed Financial Eligibility Form electronically.
• Print the EOP Documentation Cover Sheet and submit with your required financial documents to SUNY as instructed.

If you are found both financially and academically eligible for EOP admission consideration, your application will be forwarded to the SUNY New Paltz EOP Office for a final admission decision.

If you are found financially ineligible (your family income and assets exceed the allowed income/assets level), your application will be removed from EOP consideration and will be reviewed under the criteria for General Freshman Admission by the Office of Undergraduate Admission.

EOP Transfer Information

Transfer Academic Eligibility Requirements

If you are attending or have attended another college, have been enrolled in an EOP, HEOP, or SEEK program, and are a New York State resident, you may apply for EOP transfer admission, which requires:

• Minimum of a 2.75 GPA in all your previous college work.
• Specific transfer requirements.

Transfer Family Financial Eligibility

The EOP Office and the Office of Student Financial Services will make a determination on your financial eligibility for EOP admission. 

• Submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Academic Eligibility Decision

If you are found academically eligible, your application will be forwarded to the SUNY New Paltz Financial Aid Office for a review of your family financial eligibility for EOP.

If you are found academically ineligible (your high school average and SAT or ACT score exceed the maximum allowed for EOP at SUNY New Paltz), you will be notified by the Office of Undergraduate Admission and your application will be reviewed under the admission criteria for General Freshman Admission.