College can be your spring board to the future. Here’s how your local TRiO Educational Opportunity Center can help.

During your senior year… TRiO Educational Opportunity Center is broadly available to high school seniors in Josephine County and to seniors in Jackson County not served by the TRiO Educational Talent Search program . As a senior, you can work with a TRiO EOC transition specialist who can assist you throughout the year to make final plans for college. TRiO EOC provides assistance with pre-college planning, delivers workshops and provides one-on-one counseling to help you to obtain financial aid, and can even work with you on college test preparation and applying for college.

Already a high school graduate or hold a GED? If you are 18 to19 years of age or older and are making the transition from high school to college, TRiO can help. TRiO Educational Opportunity Center is available to recent graduates. If you didn’t attend a target school or have been away from high school for some time, TRiO Educational Opportunity Center is the TRiO program that is dedicated to meeting your college-going needs.

Want to pursue a GED? About one out of every seven people who receive high school diplomas each year earns that diploma by passing the GED tests. Passing the GED tests lets colleges know the person has the skills and knowledge equivalent to applicants from traditional high schools. Among its many services, TRiO EOC transition specialists can help program participants obtain their GED. Participants should plan to enter a certificate or degree-seeking program following successful completion of GED testing.

Transferring to another college? Determining early what’s needed to transfer to another college or university can save you time and frustration. We would always recommend that you check out the requirements of your major and talk as soon as you can with an advisor about your plans for transfer. Once you understand your options and are within one-year of transferring, take a look at how TRiO might be able to help. In Jackson County TRiO EOC can help transfer students apply for college as well as acquire the financial aid necessary for your next step. Beyond this, we work with colleges throughout Oregon and may able to help you defer application fees as well as research your college options.

Veteran or returning after taking time off from college? If you are a veteran or have been away from college for some time, the Educational Opportunity Center program was designed with you in mind. EOC transition specialists recognize that returning to college can be a major adjustment. Our transition specialists are experts on the in’s and out’s of financial aid, something which can be particularly daunting to this group. In addition, they are prepared to assist you work through the test preparation, application and enrollment process. Beyond this, they can put you in touch with other helpful resources and organizations on campus that work with adults in your similar situation.