To qualify for EOPS program you must meet all the eligibility criteria outlined below: 

1. Be a resident of California or AB 540 Dreamer as determined by GCC Admissions and Records Office
2. Be enrolled in 12 or more units when accepted into the program.  
   • Current or Former Foster Youth must be registered in at least one course and working towards 9 units per term.
   • DSPS students (6+ units with DSPS counselor verification)
3. Not have completed more than 70 units of degree applicable credit course work in any combination of post-secondary higher education (college/ university)
4. Have received a California College Promise Grant (CCPG) A, B, or C with SAI ≤ 0.
5. Meet ONE of the following disadvantaged criteria:

• Registered in English or Math below the level required for the associate degree at GCC, or registered in ESL.  NOTE: A placement into GCC graduation or transfer level English or Math with support units designated with a (+) also meets this criterion (Math 30+, Math 90+ and English 101+).
• Not have graduated from HS or obtained the General Education Diploma (GED)
• Graduated from HS with a GPA below 2.5
• Been previously enrolled in remedial education courses in HS or college (transcripts or IEP must be presented for verification)
• First generation college student (neither parent has earned a Bachelor’s degree)
• Member of college identified underrepresented group: (African-American/Black, American-Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic/Latino)
• The primary language spoken in the student’s home is/was non-English
• The student is current or former foster youth

Things to do before applying to EOPS

1. Apply for California College Promise Grant (CCPG)
   • Click here for the CCPG Application 
2. Submit official transcripts from all other colleges and universities attended to the GCC Office of Admissions and Records (click here for Transcript Instructions)
3. High School transcripts should be available upon request
4. It is also recommended that you complete a Guided Placement Survey (GPS) for Math, English and ESL in the Assessment Center 
   • Click here for Assessment Center hours and info

Continuing EOPS students do not need to reapply each semester unless they are exited from the program. If a student drops out of school for one full semester after being accepted into EOPS due to extenuating circumstances and leaves the program in good standing, he/she can reapply to the program if all the eligibility criteria are met at the time of application. If, however, the EOPS student was exited from the program for non-compliance, the student may not re-apply.

Continued eligibility requires adherence to the EOPS Mutual Responsibility Contract (MRC).

The program admission process consists of 3 steps described below:

STEP 1: PENDING: Students who meet eligibility criteria described above submit program admission web application. After one business day the application status will show PENDING in the personalized Application Status grid on MyGCC>Other Services>EOPS/CARE Application Status (as shown in the sample below). During this time, students may see notes from our staff requesting to submit additional documents. Please check the NOTE section one business day after you have submitted the program admission application. While waiting for the application to be processed, all students will be given an opportunity to complete the REQUIRED EOPS Program Admission Orientation and Quiz. 

 STEP 2: PROCESSED/DENIED: EOPS staff will be processing program admission applications in the order received. Only one application needs to be submitted. If students meet EOPS program eligibility criteria, their application status will show PROCESSED (see sample 1 below). If, however, students do not meet eligibility criteria, they will receive a denial notification with a reason for denial showing in the NOTE section (see sample 2 below). Once your application is PROCESSED you will be given a counseling appointment.

SAMPLE 1

SAMPLE 2

IMPORTANT: Counseling appointments are limited and subject to available counseling appointment times. Although we will do our best to find an appointment time from your preference list, it is not guaranteed that your appointment will be scheduled during the time you prefer. It is very important for students to keep their scheduled counseling appointment time and be in the EOPS office at least 5 minutes before the scheduled meeting with a counselor. If you have extenuating circumstances and cannot keep your appointment, you MUST call 24hr in advance to reschedule. It is required that you complete the EOPS program Orientation and bring the completed 10 question QUIZ with you to the counseling meeting. The answers to the Quiz will not affect your admission to the EOPS program. However, you need to have the completed Quiz with you when seeing the EOPS counselor during the first meeting. 

 Disclaimer: Delaying your counseling appointment may jeopardize your program admission. Having PROCESSED status on your application, by no means guarantees admission to the EOPS program. Students must complete the third step to be admitted to EOPS.

STEP 3: ADMITTED: 

STEP 3: ADMITTED:  When you meet with an EOPS counselor you are expected to complete the following four steps before your program admission will be completed: 1) review the Quiz; 2) review and sign the EOPS Mutual Responsibility Contract; 3) review your current course list to ensure registration in appropriate courses; 4) develop preliminary Student Educational Plan based on your educational goal and major.

NOTE: The first counseling appointment with EOPS office must be conducted in person.

Disclaimer: EOPS reserves the right to reverse the admission decision if at a later time the new information that becomes available makes the student ineligible.

NOTE: If it has been more than 3 days since you have submitted your EOPS application, and your application status has not changed from PENDING to either PROCESSED or DENIED, call EOPS  technician at (818) 240-1000 ext. 5564 to enquire about your application to enquire about your application.