Eligibility and Appealing

EOP Eligibility

In order to be granted EOP status, a student must meet all three of the following criteria: 

• A California Resident

• Be a  First Generation to College Student (Neither parent has obtained a degree from a 4-year university in the U.S.) 

• and Low Income - this is determined by your financial situation - and we review your financial aid package for Pell Grant eligibility and your SAI.

OR 

Must have participated in any one of the programs listed below to be automatically considered an EOP student: 

• California Dream Act recipient
• California Community College EOPS Program participant (we require proof of EOP status from your community college portal)
• UCSC Baskin Engineering Excellence Scholars Program (BEES) participant
• UCSC Black Academy participant
• UCSC Renaissance Scholars participant
  • Hope Scholars 
  • Independent Student
  • Underground Scholars

Student’s experiences vary, so we encourage students who believe they meet some of the criteria to still appeal and consider checking in with one of our EOP counselors during drop-in. 

Why do we have an Appeal Process?

A student group in your portal, called ‘EOP’ is a status that is typically granted during the UC application process, based on what you marked when applying to UC Santa Cruz. We understand not all circumstances stay the same and that not all EOP students may be captured from Admissions -  so students can apply to be considered for participation in the program by submitting an appeal. In light of the updated FAFSA process for 2024-2025 - we must align our Appeal process with the financial package students receive. We will upload the new EOP Appeal 2024-2025 form by mid-October 2024.

**Please note that the Appeal Form is only available for enrolled students!

If you are a continuing student, you can set up time with an EOP Counselor by calling our front desk. If you are a new/incoming student, and after you have checked your eligibility, please be sure to email eop@ucsc.edu if you are not certain about your EOP status.

The Appeal Process

Before you submit an appeal, you can check if you already have EOP status. Instructions on how to check your status can be found here. If you have checked your status and are not an EOP student, but wish to be considered for participation in the program, please complete the EOP Appeal Form. 

Students can submit an EOP appeal at any point in the year. Students will be notified of a decision within three weeks of submission of the appeal form. For campus partners who are not sure if their student referrals are EOP - please be sure to email rbecerr4@ucsc.edu

If you have questions please email eop@ucsc.edu or call our office at (831) 459-2296.