Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) In partnership with state funding, grants, and generous gifts, Goucher College instituted an Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). This program, which began in the fall of 2006, provides access to a small, private liberal arts education for first-generation college bound students with high levels of motivation, promise and scholarship who may not have otherwise been able to afford such an education. Please visit here for a full description of the program.
If you have resided in Maryland for at least two years and are a first-generation college bound student (defined as having neither birth parent who have completed a technical, two-year or four-year degree program), we encourage you to apply to Goucher College. Students meeting these criteria will automatically be considered for EOP.
Admissions Requirements
In order for us to consider your application for admission, you must submit the following documents and forms:
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Common Application form and Goucher supplement: most students submit these two documents online using the Common Application website, though we can provide a paper copy of the application at your request
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$55 application fee or fee waiver through College Board, NACAC, or College Bound Foundation
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essay with a minimum of 500 words (from the Common App)
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official high school transcript (grade 9 and up), listing courses in progress
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Secondary School Report with letter of recommendation from your guidance counselor or adviser
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recommendation letter from an academic teacher (math, science, English, foreign language, or social studies)
Goucher College does not require its applicants to submit SAT, SAT II, or ACT scores, though we do give students the option to request us to use their test scores. Therefore, we ask every student to make their preference clear using our supplement to the Common Application (see above). If you want us to take these scores into consideration when reviewing your application, you should select option A on the Goucher supplement. If you do not want us to use your test scores when reviewing your application, you should select option B.
Financial Aid Requirements
The admissions process is need-blind, meaning that we make our decisions without considering how much your family can financially contribute to your education. Once our admissions committee has decided to offer you admission, we'll need to take a look at your financial need in order to consider you for EOP. This is because certain benefits of the program require demonstration of a certain level of financial need in order to acquire a college education. We cannot move forward with considering you for EOP until we have verified that you meet the financial criteria set by the State. Therefore, meeting all the state and college deadlines for submission of completed documentation are of paramount importance.
We require that you submit the following documents, no later than February 1:
Either during or after filling out the above forms, you may need to submit:
- parents' federal tax returns (most recent)
- parents' W-2s
- student's federal tax returns (most recent)
- student's W-2s
- Social Security benefits statement (if applicable)
While this program is geared toward academically capable, first-generation students who have resided in MD for at least two years, interested students and their families must qualify for the Maryland Guaranteed Access program. Financially eligible candidates who are admitted to the college will receive a financial aid package that includes grant money, a minimal work-study award and no loans. Goucher is prepared to make this commitment for four years as long as the student remains in good academic standing. In all cases families must pay the calculated expected family contribution (EFC), using resources available, which can include current earnings, savings, 529 Plans, employee tuition assistance or parent loans. The EFC calculated for each family is the amount of money they should be able to pay towards financing college based on income and asset information provided. If ever you thought financing a Goucher education was out of reach, you may now think otherwise.
Important Dates
All of your admissions and financial aid documents must be submitted by February 1.
We have two different admissions timelines that will allow you to submit your paperwork on time. When you fill out your Common Application, you'll need to choose one of the following two admissions programs:
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Early Action
- application + supporting materials due December 1
- notification of candidacy as EOP scholar in mid-February
- enrollment reply due May
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Regular Decision
- application + supporting materials due February 1
- notification of candidacy as EOP scholar in mid-February
- enrollment reply due May 1
There are other important dates to keep in mind, should you be accepted to Goucher and into EOP:
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Mid-February
- notification of candidacy as an EOP scholar
- upon invitation, submit additional documents and schedule an on-campus interview with members of the EOP committee (required to remain in consideration as an EOP scholar)
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Late February
- on-campus interview day for all EOP candidates who have responded
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Early March
- notification of selection as an EOP scholar (5-10 students)
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March and April
- on- and off-campus Admissions Office events for accepted students and EOP scholars
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May 1
- deadline for notifying us of your intent to enroll
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Mid-June
- on-campus one-day orientation for all first-year students (includes a special EOP session)
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July
- on-campus four-week "summer bridge" program
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End of August
- all students report to campus for first-year student orientation
Contact Information
Do you know someone who would be a perfect fit for EOP at Goucher? Do you know someone who would benefit from hearing more from us? Let us know!
For information on applying to Goucher and being considered for EOP, please contact...
Kimberley Gordy '06
Admissions Counselor
Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment
kgordy@goucher.edu
410-337-6009
For additional information on EOP and the experiences of our enrolled students, please contact...
Mary Tandia
Associate Dean for Multicultural Student Services
mary.tandia@goucher.edu
410-921-3355
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