Higher Education Opportunity Program

The Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) is a partnership between the State of New York and its independent colleges that provides scholarships to economically and educationally disadvantaged residents. It is mainly awarded to underrepresented minority students, such as African Americans and Hispanics.

HEOP is funded jointly by participating colleges and the New York State Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program, and supported, in part, by a grant from the New York State Education Department.

All HEOP students must be New York State residents (including undocumented immigrants) and must meet both financial and academic guidelines. [1] The HEOP program was funded under Title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and was approved by Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York.[1]

The program provides grants ranging from $40,000-$61,000 to more than 50 colleges to fund students admitted through HEOP. [1]

In order to be eligible for the Higher Education Opportunity Program, a student must have been a New York State resident for 1 year, have a high school or equivalent state-approved diploma (such as the Armed Forces), be academically disadvantaged (meaning the student would not be admitted according to regular admission standards), be financially disadvantaged (based on income cutoffs, varying by college), and demonstrate ambition to succeed.[2]