The EOPS Program
The Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) is a state-funded support program designed to provide academic support, financial assistance and encouragement for educationally disadvantaged students. The goal of the program is to help eligible students meet their educational objectives, whether they seek occupational certificates, associate degrees, or transfer to four-year institutions.
Apply Today!
- Spring 2024 EOPS Online Application (Coming Soon!)
- Summer/Fall 2024 EOPS Online Application
- Email: eops@bakersfieldcollege.edu
Students that participate in EOPS receive the personalized support and services listed below:
- Priority Registration: First to register before other students on campus
- Counseling: Counselors will meet with you every semester for advising
- Book Vouchers: As funding permits, up to $200 towards books
- Grants: As funding permits, we can help with additional grant money
- Tutoring: Obtain an extra tutoring referral session per class, per week
- Student Educational Planning: Develop a Comprehensive Student Educational Plan (CSEP) to succeed
- University Campus Visits: Attend University campus tours
- Cap & Gown: FREE cap & gown for EOPS graduates
- CARE program for eligible single parents who receive TANF or CalWORKs benefits
- Additional services!
- Enrolled in a minimum of 12 units at time of entry*
- Eligible for California College Promise Grant A, B, or C with an EFC of 0.
- Be a California Resident or AB 540 (Qualifies for California Non-Resident Tuition Exemption)
- Educationally Disadvantage by EOPS Guidelines
- Complete an EOPS Application and attend a mandatory orientation
- *Exception made for eligible DSPS students
Bakersfield College
- Testing Center
- New Student Orientation
- New Student Counseling
- Degree and Certificate Programs
- BC's Transfer Pathway
- Financial Aid
California State University
University of California
- UC Campuses
- UC Admission Application
- Application Fee Waiver: UC will waive application fees for up to four campuses for qualified students as a feature of the online application. If you are an EOPS/CARE student and are denied a fee waiver on the application, you should indicate that you want to pay by mail and submit a UC fee waiver form that you can obtain from a EOPS counselor or academic advisor.
- UC Personal Insight Questions:
Private Institutions
College Catalogs
College Rankings
Educational Videos
- Video lectures on various academic subjects: Khan Academy
Professional Programs
- Law: LSAC
- Medical School: Admissions Requirements
- Nursing: Pre-Licensure RN Programs
- Teaching: Teach California
- Teacher Credentialing: CA Commission on Teacher Credentialing
Internships and Career Opportunities
Majors and Careers
- ASSIST.org Exploring Majors
- CollegeBoard.org Explore Careers
- California Career Zone
- Career One Stop
- O*NET OnLine
Financial Aid and Scholarships
- Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- CA Dream Act
- Apply online for Bakersfield College Scholarships!
- FinAid!
- icangotocollege.com
- Federal Student Aid, US Department of Education
- fastweb!
EOPS is a state-funded program whose roots originated from the 1960s civil right movement, when awareness of the needs for social equity in every facet of life could no longer be ignored. It was conceived as a way to help those who were both educationally and economically disadvantaged to successfully create a future through educational and life-skills development.
In 1969, Senator Al Alquist proposed Assembly Bill 164, which allocated state funds to create the Extended Opportunity Program and Services (EOPS) in the California Community College system. This law was designed to aid students with either educations, social, or economic challenges to complete in college. This action came about as direct result of civil rights activities and social unrest witnessed during the 1960s as a way to address injustices and inequalities in our society. Assembly Bill 164 was signed into law by Governor Ronald Regan on September 4, 1969, and EOPS was born, establishing EOPS within the California Community College system.
The intent was for EOPS to foster the identification, recruitment, retention, and educational stimulation of students affected by language, social or economic disadvantages, and to equalize the educational opportunities of these potential students. The first EOPS programs were established in Spring 1970 at 46 community colleges. Today, EOPS exists at all 112 community colleges in California.
EOPS Symbol
In 1971, the Executive Committee of the California Community College EOPS Association
(CCCEOPSA) adopted the Nickel and the Nail as the symbol of aid offered too many California
Community College students through EOPS.
This symbol, the EOPS logo, represents a successful effort at helping to provide the motivation and means for students to reach their educational goals. The story goes like this: a young man in the Deep South was walking down a dusty road to visit a lady friend, all too aware that the nickel in his pocket was all he had in the world. That emptiness tore away at his self-esteem. But, as he walked, he noticed two-gnarled horseshoe nails that were twisted together and lying by the road.
He picked them up and put them in his pocket, and as the metal jingled against his meager fortune, the young man walked a little straighter, with a little more pride and dignity. It is important to have “something to jingle.” The nails twisted into a puzzle, suggesting the problem has yet to be unraveled for helping people who, by circumstances of the society in which we live, have been limited in meeting their own educational challenges.
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