Welcome to the Educational Opportunity Centers Program!
There's no better time than now to plan for your future!
Program Overview
The Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC) Program at UW-Eau Claire provides free counseling and assistance on college admissions, including financial options, for qualified adults who are considering post-secondary educational options.
What is EOC?
The Educational Opportunity Centers Program (EOC) is a federally funded TRiO program providing counseling and information on college admissions to qualified adults who want to enter or continue a program of postsecondary education. An important objective of the program is to counsel participants on financial aid options 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.
EOC is a community-based program that aims to make program services accessible by meeting with prospective participants through satellite sites within the program's ten-county target area (Barron, Chippewa, Clark, Eau Claire, Jackson, Rusk, Sawyer, Trempealeau, and Washburn). EOC works in partnership with a variety of public and private organizations such as human service agencies, schools, businesses, correctional institutions and treatment centers, to identify and serve eligible individuals who are interested in furthering their education and improving their financial circumstances and/or employment options.
Like all TRiO programs, Educational Opportunity Centers operate against specific, measurable outcome objectives as clearly defined in each approved grant proposal. The program directors are held accountable and must meet their stated objectives each year if they expect to remain funded and thereby continue to help participants in their targeted service area.
EOC at Eau Claire
While there are 135 Educational Opportunity Centers programs throughout the United States, there are only two in the state of Wisconsin. UW-Eau Claire has been successful in receiving funding for EOC from the U.S. Department of Education since 1994. With offices at UW-Eau Claire and in Rice Lake, at UW-Barron County, the program serves more than 1,100 eligible adults each year.
