Graduate Educational Opportunity Program (GEOP)

The Graduate Educational Opportunity Program (GEOP) provides tuition scholarships to graduates of Educational Opportunity Program (EOP); Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP); and CUNY Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) programs within New York State who wish to pursue further education at the graduate level.

Eligibility

Only New York State residents who participated as undergraduates in certified EOP, HEOP, or SEEK programs within New York State and completed their undergraduate degrees are eligible to seek support through the GEOP. All disciplines are eligible.

Tuition scholarships are not awarded for multiple degrees at the same level (e.g., two Master's degrees) or for stand-alone certificate programs. Tuition scholarships are not awarded to part-time students. Only students intending to enroll full-time (12 credits each term) should apply for the program.

The Graduate Educational Opportunity Program receives a limited amount of funding each year. Therefore, tuition scholarships are not guaranteed to all students who apply.

Application Process
  1. Ensure that you meet all GEOP requirements and eligibility standards.
  2. Apply to an academic department at the University at Buffalo.
  3. After you are admitted to a UB graduate program, print the GEOP Application Form. Complete section 1 and obtain the required signature from your undergraduate EOP/HEOP/SEEK office in section 2.
  4. Submit your completed application form to The Graduate School. Please retain a copy for your records. Please note: incomplete forms will be returned to the student.

Applications are reviewed by committee and tuition scholarships are awarded based on a combination of distribution of awards across disciplines at UB and the student's academic merit.

The Graduate Educational Opportunity Program receives a limited amount of funding each year. Therefore, tuition scholarships are not guaranteed to all students who apply.

Awards are determined once the level of budget support for the program is confirmed by the State. The Graduate School will send you a notification letter in the mail regarding the outcome of your application as soon as circumstances permit.

Application Deadline

The completed application form must be submitted to the Graduate School by July 1st for the following academic year. Only completed forms will be processed. Incomplete forms will be returned to the student.

Summer Support

Funding provided by the State of New York for GEOP is limited, and requests from eligible graduate students for support during a summer term are considered only if funds are available. Awards are generally limited to one summer over the period of an individual student's academic program, unless exceptional circumstances are presented.

If sufficient funds exist, summer support through GEOP may be requested only by eligible graduate students who meet at least one of the following criteria:

  1. The student's academic program requires all students (whether GEOP recipients or not) to undertake specified coursework during the initial or concluding summer term of the program consistent with the approved/registered curriculum; or
  2. The student needs summer support in order to complete his/her degree program by the end of that summer term. The expectation is that the student will graduate at the end of the summer in question (September 1 degree conferral). Note that recipients receiving summer support under this criterion will NOT be eligible for any further GEOP funding beyond the "concluding" summer in which such support is received; or
  3. Completion of required clinical component(s) of the program during the summer will enable the student to finish the degree program a semester early.

If awarded, summer tuition scholarship support covers tuition only (not fees or other charges). Such tuition support is limited to the general graduate tuition rate in effect for that summer term.

Requests for special summer support should be in the form of a letter from the eligible student addressed to the Graduate School (408 Capen Hall), and should include information describing the specific coursework to be completed and how that coursework relates to the eligibility criteria listed above. Requests must be accompanied by a letter of support from the student's academic department that includes confirmation that

  1. The summer coursework in question is required of all students under the program, or
  2. That the student will complete his/her academic program by the end of that summer term, or
  3. That the student's completion of required clinical components of the program during the summer will enable the student to finish the degree program a semester early.

The deadline for receipt of written requests for summer support under GEOP is the last day of scheduled classes during the Spring semester.