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HIGHER EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM (HEOP)
A. Introduction
B. General Requirements
C. Academic Eligibility Criteria for FirstTime Students
D. Economic Eligibility Criteria for First-Time Students
E. Selection Criteria for Transfer Students
F. Academic Eligibility Criteria for Continuing Students
The Higher Education Opportunity Program is designed to serve the student who is both academically and economically disadvantaged. A disadvantaged student is an individual from a low-income family with potential for a successful collegiate experience but who has not acquired the verbal, mathematical, and other cognitive skills required to complete his/her college work. Generally, his/her grades fall in the bottom half of the high school graduating class, he/she has not earned a Regents diploma, is from a high school which has a poor record for preparing students, has been tracked or scheduled into a general, commercial or vocational high school program, or has been out of school for a number of years.
A student eligible for HEOP will generally rank low on such traditional measures of collegiate admissions as SAT scores, high school average, and class standing. Institutions are encouraged to seek out academically disadvantaged students who have the potential for success in college and to admit such students through the Higher Education Opportunity Program. It is the State Education Department's policy to encourage institutions to develop for such students programs of study that include strong components of remedial/developmental education and adequate counseling and tutorial support.
A student eligible for benefits under the Higher Education Opportunity Program must meet all of the following:
1. Be both academically and economically "disadvantaged" according to the criteria in Sections II.C and II.D;
2. Be a high school graduate or have a State-approved equivalency diploma (with a composite score not higher than 310) or its equivalent. The equivalent of a general equivalency diploma is defined as one of the following:
a. An Armed Forces Equivalency Diploma with a minimum score of 40 on each test section and a minimum composite score of 225, or
b. A level of knowledge and academic ability equal to the level required for entrance to the educational opportunity program at the institution to which the individual seeks admission;
3. Have potential for the successful completion of a postsecondary program; and
4. Be a resident of New York State according to the criteria promulgated by the Higher Education Services Corporation (see VI. Definitions of Frequently Used Terms).
1. Objective Criteria
Non-admissibility. Regents Rules state that "the basic test of educational disadvantage is non-admissibility by the college's normal admissionsstandards to the college at the matriculated status in a degree program." A further proof of academic eligibility is non-admissibility to a degree program for which application is made.
2. Subjective Criteria
Since objective criteria alone cannot predict the success of HEOP students, subjective evaluations are also important. Letters of recommendation, personal interviews, and pre-testing should be used when possible.
Essentially, the decision to admit each applicant should be based on a complete evaluation of objective and subjective educational information. The verification of academic eligibility and the decision to admit an applicant to the program are the joint responsibilities of the program director and an admissions officer.
3. Open Admissions
At independent institutions, for HEOP eligibility purposes, open admissionsis defined as a non-competitive selection process which permits the admission of applicants regardless of their previous academic credentials or experiences. Generally, the only basis for rejection is serious social or psychological problems, as determined by the institution to which a student applies. HEOP students selected under open admissions should be tested for academic preparedness and, if necessary, required to undertake remedial work and receive other supportive services necessary to do college-level work.
In order to be considered for HEOP eligibility at an open admissions institution, a student must meet one of the following criteria:
a. Possess a high school equivalency diploma, or
b. Possess the equivalent of a GED, or
c. Have no high school diploma, or
d. Meet other acceptable academic criteria that differentiate the HEOP student from regularly admitted students (e.g., lower test scores, lower GED scores). These criteria must be clearly described in the proposal.
(All economic eligibility criteria apply to the calendar year prior to the academic year of first entry to college. For 2007-08, it is the 2006 calendar year.)
1. A student is considered economically disadvantaged if he or she is a member of:
For the purpose of this subdivision, the number of members of a household shall be determined by ascertaining the number of individuals living in the student's residence who are economically dependent on the income, as defined in subdivision 6 of this section, supporting the student.
For students first entering college between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008:
| Number of members in household (including head of household) | Total annual income in preceding calendar year |
1 |
$14,100 |
2 |
19,600 |
3 |
22,350 |
4 |
27,800 |
5 |
32,850 |
6 |
38,550 |
7 or more |
42,900 plus $4,350 for each family member in excess of 7 |
2. Fifteen Percent Variation:
A maximum of 15 percent of the students admitted to a HEOP program may come from a household whose income exceeds the scale listed in the preceding table of this subdivision when warranted by unusual and extenuating circumstances. Documentation of these circumstances must be submitted to HEOP-SED for review and an eligibility determination. All pertinent information shall be kept on file by the institution at which such students are enrolled and shall be corroborated by a reliable, disinterested third party.
Categories into which these variations may fall are limited to the following:
a. Serious mismanagement of the household income, with little accruing to the interest of the student; or
b. A one-time fluctuation in household income where there is a history of low income. Satisfactory evidence that a household's income in the calendar year prior to the calendar year used for determining the student's economic eligibility fell within the limits of the applicable household income scale shall be sufficient to establish the existence of a one-time fluctuation in household income, provided that there is satisfactory proof of a history of low income; or
c. Households with substantial long term, non-reimbursed medical obligations (such as maintenance of physically or mentally handicapped children); or
d. Families which must maintain two households, one for a wage earner and one for dependents, in order to maintain employment; or
e. Families where the family contribution as computed from base year financial data by a United States Department of Education approved needs analysis system indicates no contribution other than the minimum expectation from student income for independent students or a zero parental contribution for dependent students.
3. Exceptions
Reference to the household income scale need not be made if the student falls into one of the following categories, and documentation is available:
a. The student's family is the recipient of: (1) Family Assistance Program Aid; or (2) Safety Net Assistance through the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, or a county department of social services; or (3) family day-care payments through the New York State Office of Children and Family Services Assistance, or a county department of social services;
b. The student is living with foster parents who do not provide support for college, and no monies are provided from the natural parents; or
c. The student is a ward of the State or a county.
4. Independent Students
For purposes of this subpart an independent student is one who:
a. is 24 years of age or older by December 31 of the program year, or
b. is an orphan or ward of the court (A student is considered independent if he or she is a ward of the court or was a ward of the court until the individual reached the age of eighteen.); or
c. is a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States who has engaged in active duty in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard, and who was released under a condition other than dishonorable; or
d. is a married individual; or
e. has legal dependents other than a spouse; or
f. is a student for whom an opportunity program and financial aid administrator have made a satisfactorily documented determination of independence by reasons of other extraordinary circumstances.
Documentation will be required that the student is from a disadvantaged background. The income of any independent student and spouse during the calendar year prior to becoming a student must meet the family income table. For independent students, there should be a form signed jointly by the project director and the director of financial aid indicating the reason(s) for determination of independence.
5. Duration
The eligibility standards set forth in this section apply only at the time of admission as a first-time freshman to a program. Once admitted, a student may continue to receive supportive services as needed, even if the family income rises above the current eligibility standards. However, a student's economic status shall be reviewed under a recognized needs analysis system each year and appropriate adjustments made in the student's financial aid package.
6. Income
Except as otherwise provided in paragraph 2 of this subdivision, income, as used in this subpart, means all taxable and nontaxable funds that are received by the household for general use. Funds may be derived from sources such as wages, dividends, interest, Social Security, disability pensions, veterans benefits, and unemployment benefits. For purposes of determining HEOP eligibility, total family income is the total received, e.g., the line for "Total Income" on Federal income tax forms (IRS forms 1040EZ, 1040A and 1040) plus any other sources of income the family may have.
b. The following shall not constitute income:
(1) Monies received specifically for educational purposes from sources such as veteran's cost of education benefits, and education grants from the Office of Vocational Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID).
(2) Social services or public assistance payments received through the Family Assistance Program, or Safety Net Assistance Program and Family Day-Care Payments.
In these cases, as for all other HEOP students, eligible applicants must be from families characterized by a history of poverty.
7. Documentation
The following shall be acceptable documentation of economic eligibility:
a. Documentation of all income, earned dividends and interest: a signed copy of appropriate year's tax return (IRS forms 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ; or 4506).
Documentation of a sole worker’s income from two or more employers: W2s for the appropriate year or similar documentation acceptable to the Commissioner.
c. Documentation of no income: a copy of IRS form 4506 which has been filed by the student or family with the Internal Revenue Service or a copy of IRS Letter 1722 indicating that the student (if independent) or parent did not file a return.
d. Documentation of pension, annuity, or unemployment benefits: letter from the applicable agency showing appropriate year's total award (if not reported on IRS forms 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ or 1099).
e. Documentation of Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, or Veterans Administration non-educational benefits: a letter from the applicable agency showing applicable year's total award for each member of the household including Medicare premiums or IRS form 1099 for each member of the household.
f. Documentation of social services payments: verification from a branch of the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Office of Children and Family Services Assistance, or a county department of social services showing year that benefits were received and names of recipients including the applicant.
g. Documentation of child supportand/or alimony: a court order, affidavit, or student's Free Application for Federal Student Aid form (FAFSA).
h. Documentation of additional members in household: birth certificates, marriage certificates, third-party verification, or similar documentation acceptable to the Commissioner, along with proof of income or lack of income for each such member.
i. Documentation of zero household contribution: the needs analysis output form from one of the United States Department of Education’s approved needs analysis systems.
8. Responsibility for Documentation
It is the joint responsibility of the program director and a financial aid officer to verify that all first-time program students are economically eligible and that all of the appropriate documentation to verify this eligibility is on hand.
9. Eligibility Documentation and Reporting
All documentation needed to verify the economic and academic eligibility of all new students accepted into the program should be in each student’s folder. Ideally, each student’s file should be complete before admission is offered. If there are questions about the eligibility of any applicants, HEOP-SED should be contacted before acceptance of these students.
Please note that all student eligibility documentation is subject to review by HEOP-SED staff. If, during review, any students are found to have incomplete files, campus staff will be notified in writing as to missing documentation that must be obtained and placed in the students’ folders.
If HEOP-SED staff finds during a documentation review that any students are ineligible for HEOP, campus staff will be informed in writing. In this event, enrollment reports and payments will be adjusted accordingly.
Table 21 of the HEOP Final Report, with signatures of the Chief Academic Officer, the Director of Financial Aid and the HEOP Director, attests to the academic and economic eligibility of each program student. This form should be submitted as part of the Final Report.
1. Definition
Any student who has previously attended a postsecondary institution is a transfer student. Only students transferring from opportunity programs funded under Section 6451 or 6452 (HEOP, EOP, SEEK, College Discovery) of the New York State Education Law or other non-New York State programs approved by HEOP-SED are eligible for admission as transfer students to a HEOP program. Approval must be granted in writing prior to the student's attendance.
2. Documentation
A completed Transfer Application Form (Attachment II, page 38), with appropriate signatures and semesters of used eligibility clearly noted, must be on file for every transfer student.
3. Use of Eligibility
The semesters a transfer student has spent in any previous opportunity program(s) or approved equivalent will be taken into account in calculating the student's remaining semesters of entitlement. The admissionprocedures should be sensitive to this policy in making decisions about prospective transfers.
4. Ineligible Transfers
Because HEOP is intended to open opportunities for normally inadmissible students, non-opportunity program students with previous successful college experience are generally ineligible for HEOP transfer. Ineligible categories generally include:
a. Students who have earned credits in non-traditional degree programs such as Regents College and Empire State College.
b. Students who have earned college credits solely through testing programs such as the College Proficiency Examination Program and the United States Armed Forces Institute.
c. Non-matriculated students who have earned prior college credits.
5. College CoursesWhile in High School
College courses taken by high school students while they attend high school are considered to be part of the student's high school work and not prior college work. These students are not transfers and should be treated the same as any other new HEOP applicants.
6. Students Using STAP at Non-Opportunity Program Institutions
If a student was in the Supplemental Tuition Assistance Program (STAP) at an institution that did not have a State-approved opportunity program and the student was also economically disadvantaged at that time and was a New York State resident according to the HEOP guidelines at the time of first college entry, the student is eligible for transfer to HEOP. (See E. 3. above for explanation of student's use of HEOP eligibility in this situation.)
7. Opportunity Program/Non-Opportunity Program/Opportunity Program Transfers
Students, who transfer into Higher Education Opportunity Programs, who began college as opportunity program students and subsequently attended postsecondary institutions, but not as opportunity program students, shall not have their semesters of opportunity program entitlement reduced by the time spent in college in a non-opportunity program. However, such students may be in danger of losing Pell or TAP entitlement before finishing college. Any student transferring into HEOP who is in such danger shall be informed in writing of his/her situation at the time of admission, including what obligations the institution will and will not commit itself to on behalf of the student should the above entitlement cease. Such a record shall be kept in the student's permanent file.
Each institution establishes its minimum academic requirements for receipt of State student aid in its "program pursuit and satisfactory academic progress" criteria. These requirements have been submitted and approved by the State Education Department. Minimum satisfactory academic progress requirements for opportunity program students should be the same, unless a separate HEOP Pursuit and Progress Chart has been submitted and approved by HEOP-SED. [For example, if a HEOP student is ineligible for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) for academic reasons, the student is also ineligible for HEOP.]
URL: http://www.highered.nysed.gov/kiap/COLLEGIATE/introduction_to_heop.htm
Last Updated3/20/07