Our Purpose

The National Educational Opportunity Centers Association supports Educational Opportunity Centers and similar programs who aid low income, first generation secondary and postsecondary students to achieve a better life and quality education by:

• Reviewing, evaluating, and recommending legislation affecting the development of educational opportunities to our program populations by acting as a liaison with the Department of Education.
• Providing opportunities to share information and network with other EOC and similar throughout the United States by building a supportive relationship with those programs.

EOC Program Description

The Educational Opportunity Centers program provides counseling and information on college admissions to qualified adults who want to enter or continue a program of postsecondary education. The program also provides services to improve the financial and economic literacy of participants. An important objective of the program is to counsel participants on financial aid options, including basic financial planning skills, and to assist in the application process. The goal of the EOC program is to increase the number of adult participants who enroll in postsecondary education institutions.

Projects include:

Academic advice, personal counseling, and career workshops; information on postsecondary education opportunities and student financial assistance; help in completing applications for college admissions, testing, and financial aid; coordination with nearby postsecondary institutions; media activities designed to involve and acquaint the community with higher education opportunities; tutoring; mentoring; education or counseling services designed to improve the financial and economic literacy of students; and programs and activities previously mentioned that are specially designed for students who are limited English proficient, students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, students with disabilities, students who are homeless children and youths, students who are in foster care or are aging out of foster care system or other disconnected students.