20 U.S.C. § 1070a–16: Educational opportunity…

§1070a–16 Educational Opportunity Centers

Title 20 › CHAPTER 28 — HIGHER EDUCATION RESOURCES AND STUDENT ASSISTANCE › SUBCHAPTER IV — STUDENT ASSISTANCE › Part A — Grants to Students in Attendance at Institutions of Higher Education › subpart 2 — federal early outreach and student services programs › § 1070a–16

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must run programs called educational opportunity centers. They give people information about college and other postsecondary options. They help with applying to schools and filling out financial aid and admission forms. They teach basic money and economic skills, like personal income, household budgeting, financial planning, and simple economic decision making. These centers can do many things, such as public outreach, course and test‑prep help, GED or high‑school reentry guidance, one‑on‑one academic and career counseling, tutoring, career workshops, and mentoring. They must make special efforts for students with limited English, students from underrepresented groups, students with disabilities, homeless youth, foster care youth, and other disconnected students. Any approved project must have at least two‑thirds of its participants be low‑income, first‑generation college students; participants must generally be 19 or older unless that would defeat the program’s purpose; and participants must not already have access to a similar project funded under this program or under section 1070a–12.

Title 20, §1070a–16

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(a)Program authority; services provided

The Secretary shall carry out a program to be known as educational opportunity centers which shall be designed—

(1)to provide information with respect to financial and academic assistance available for individuals desiring to pursue a program of postsecondary education;

(2)to provide assistance to such persons in applying for admission to institutions at which a program of postsecondary education is offered, including preparing necessary applications for use by admissions and financial aid officers; and

(3)to improve the financial literacy and economic literacy of students, including—

(A)basic personal income, household money management, and financial planning skills; and

(B)basic economic decisionmaking skills.

(b)Permissible services

An educational opportunity center assisted under this section may provide services such as—

(1)public information campaigns designed to inform the community regarding opportunities for postsecondary education and training;

(2)academic advice and assistance in course selection;

(3)assistance in completing college admission and financial aid applications;

(4)assistance in preparing for college entrance examinations;

(5)education or counseling services designed to improve the financial literacy and economic literacy of students;

(6)guidance on secondary school reentry or entry to a general educational development (GED) program or other alternative education programs for secondary school dropouts;

(7)individualized personal, career, and academic counseling;

(8)tutorial services;

(9)career workshops and counseling;

(10)mentoring programs involving elementary or secondary school teachers, faculty members at institutions of higher education, students, or any combination of such persons; and

(11)programs and activities as described in paragraphs (1) through (10) that are specially designed for students who are limited English proficient, students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, students with disabilities, students who are homeless children and youths (as such term is defined in section 11434a of title 42), students who are in foster care or are aging out of the foster care system, or other disconnected students.

(c)Requirements for approval of applications

In approving applications for educational opportunity centers under this section for any fiscal year the Secretary shall—

(1)require an assurance that not less than two-thirds of the persons participating in the project proposed to be carried out under any application be low-income individuals who are first generation college students;

(2)require that such participants be persons who are at least nineteen years of age, unless the imposition of such limitation with respect to any person would defeat the purposes of this section or the purposes of section 1070a–12 of this title; and

(3)require an assurance that individuals participating in the project proposed in the application do not have access to services from another project funded under this section or under section 1070a–12 of this title.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2008—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(f)(1), added par. (3). Subsec. (b)(5), (6). Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(f)(2)(A), (B), added par. (5) and redesignated former par. (5) as (6). Former par. (6) redesignated (7). Subsec. (b)(7). Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(f)(2)(C), added par. (7) and struck out former par. (7) which read as follows: “personal counseling;”. Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(f)(2)(A), redesignated former par. (6) as (7). Former par. (7) redesignated (8). Subsec. (b)(8) to (10). Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(f)(2)(A), redesignated pars. (7) to (9) as (8) to (10), respectively. Former par. (10) redesignated (11). Subsec. (b)(11). Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(f)(2)(D), added par. (11) and struck out former par. (11) which read as follows: “programs and activities as described in paragraphs (1) through (9) which are specially designed for students of limited English proficiency.” Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(f)(2)(A), redesignated par. (10) as (11).