Extended Opportunity Programs & Services (EOPS) is a state funded program designed to assist low-income and educationally disadvantaged students gain access to and successfully complete a program of higher education.  EOPS students may also be defined as “at risk” since students who are academically underprepared and have financial need often do not succeed in college without the services of programs such as EOPS.  At MPC, EOPS serves 500-700 students a year:  a highly diverse population of men and women of all ages, various ethnicities/races/cultures, and in the full range of “life stages” from recent high school graduates to re-entry single parents to retired persons seeking a new career.