Eligible applicants are admitted to the college through the EOF Program. Admits must be highly motivated students generally enrolled in college preparatory programs, maintaining a B- or better academic average, and top half or better class rank.

The EOF Program is also committed to offering community college students the opportunity to continue their studies as they opt to complete a four-year degree. There is special interest in enrolling community college graduates, in particular those with strong academic records and intending to pursue majors at Ramapo College where EOF students are underrepresented.

Both freshmen and transfer applicants must meet both academic and financial eligibility requirements for admission to the EOF Program. Academic eligibility requirements vary from program to program and students should ascertain program specific information on academic eligibility requirements. Financial eligibility requirements are the same for all EOF Programs and are based on the size of the household and family income.

Freshmen
Freshman applicants admitted to the EOF Program must complete a placement test administered by the college. It is required that the placement test is taken prior to enrollment in the Summer Studies Program. The on-line test is called the Accuplacer, and it is taken on computer. There are several tests that are a part of Accuplacer- a reading comprehension test, arithmetic test, elementary algebra test, and an English test. Testing is administered by the college’s Office of Testing and Placement.

A verbal score of 550 or above exempts students from the English placement test. A math score of 560 or above exempts students from the arithmetic placement test, and a 560 or better math score exempts students from the arithmetic and algebra tests. A College Board Advanced Placement English Test score of 3, 4, or 5 exempts students from the English test.

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Test Scheduling
Our Associate Director, Ms. Dee Bright-Foreman, is the primary contact person for in-coming freshmen. She coordinates the placement testing of incoming students in consultation with the Office of Testing and Placement. Testing is done over a six week period, beginning in late March and ending in early May.

Transfer Credit
Students who transfer a college-level English composition course and a college-level mathematics course that satisfy Ramapo College's General Education Requirements are exempt from placement testing. Transfers who have not completed their developmental or remedial course work at their prior school should forward their placement test scores to the Office of Testing and Placement.

Academic Eligibility
The decision to offer a freshmen admission acceptance is based on a number of factors. These include the quality of an applicant's grades, types of courses taken and their rigor, SAT scores, class rank if available, letters of recommendation, scope and depth of extracurricular and or community involvement, quality of the admission essay, and in some cases the particular field of intended study. The latter factor is weighed when special efforts are made to enroll students whose intentions are to pursue the accounting, social work, teaching, math, science, and health professions. These are areas at Ramapo College in which EOF students are underrepresented.

Generally, freshmen applicants with the strongest credentials are given priority attention and offered admission. However, applicants who meet the minimum requirements for admission consideration are well represented in the freshmen class. In determining admission the greatest weight is given to a students’ quality of grades. SAT scores have less weight in comparison to grades. Students who are EOF grant eligible, and their grades and other credentials are strong, but the SAT scores do not meet our minimum requirements, can be admitted to our EOF Program. Note: Interviews are not a part of our admissions process.

The admission of transfer applicants is based on meeting minimum academic eligibility requirements. These include an overall GPA and credits earned that must be evident at the time of making application. Spaces are limited and the state EOF grant is awarded based upon the availability of funds.

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EOF Financial Assistance
On average, over one million dollars in Ramapo College/EOF Merit Scholarships (RCG/EOF) and EOF state grants are annually awarded to students enrolled in our EOF Program. The college contributes approximately $500,000 to our RCG/EOF Scholarship Fund. Few other New Jersey colleges provide this level of financial support to their EOF Programs. Both RCG/EOF scholarships and EOF grants are only available to students enrolled in the EOF Program and are based on meeting need and merit based requirements. The funds are in addition to other state and federal aid students may be financially eligible for. Applying for these aid programs and other federal and state aid programs requires the filing of a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also referred to as the FAFSA. The FAFSA code for Ramapo is 009344.

FAFSA Information
No financial aid can be given to students who do not file the FAFSA. Students entering our EOF Program as freshmen must file the FAFSA before beginning the summer studies program. A number of documents are needed to complete the FAFSA. These include parent federal income tax forms if claimed as a dependent by the parent(s), student income tax forms, untaxed income records; such as social security and public assistance income verification documents, investment records, bank statements, and W-2 forms.

The FAFSA is sent to the Department of Education’s Iowa Processing Center and the information generates a Student Aid Report or SAR. The SAR is sent to the student. It summarizes the data reported on the FAFSA and notes any missing information that must be provided. If there is missing information the student must record the information on the SAR and send it back.

An EFC or Expected Family Income Contribution is listed on the SAR if the FAFSA is complete. The EFC is based on the financial information provided on the FAFSA. The Office of Financial Aid uses the EFC figure to determine financial need.

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State and Federal Aid
A student can not be admitted to the EOF Program without having qualified for the EOF and state TAG grant. A student qualifying for the EOF state grant also would receive other types of aid. Aid programs including EOF are listed below:

• Federal Pell Grants are available to undergraduate students and do not have to be repaid.
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants are federal grants and do not have to be repaid.
• Tuition Aid Grants are state funded and do not have to be repaid undergraduates only. This grant does not have to be repaid.
• Educational Opportunity Fund Grants are state funded and do not have to be repaid. Students may be eligible for up to 12 semesters of payment. At Ramapo, the maximum residential award for four years or 8 semesters of attendance is currently equal to $4,800.
• Federal Stafford Loans are student loans, available on the undergraduate and graduate level, and must be repaid. The interest rate is variable, but never exceeds 8.25 percent .
• Federal PLUS Loans are unsubsidized loans made to parents. Students who are independent or their parents are not eligible to get a PLUS loan, may be eligible to borrow additional Stafford Loan funds. The interest rate is variable, but never exceeds 9 percent. The loan must be repaid .
• Federal Work Study provides jobs to undergraduate and graduate students, allowing them to earn money to pay education expenses.
• Perkins Loans are low-interest (5 percent) loans that must be repaid.

Summer Session Aid 
Every entering freshmen class is provided the opportunity to get a jump start on their classes and general campus life, by attending our Pre freshman Summer Studies Program. (We also support upperclassmen who want to continue to work on their academic studies during a summer session). In each case, students are accelerating the completion of their academic programs with the financial assistance and academic support of the EOF Program.

On average, summer program students are awarded $4,188 to cover tuition, fees, room, board, books, stipends, and insurance. Students are able to earn up to ten credits, live on campus both during the school week and on weekends when classes were not in session. 100% of the costs to attend our summer program is covered by the EOF state grant and this level of support is provided to each entering freshmen class. 

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Additional Funding Opportunities 
Courses are generally taken on campus and a number of students do choose to complete Study Abroad or domestic and international cooperative education programs. Our EOF Program takes special interest in helping students pursue these experiential opportunities.

• EOF Scholarships 
  The EOF program, in coordination with the office of financial aid, administers a need and merit-based scholarship program. The scholarships are both need and merit based. The scholarships are awarded for the first year, second year, junior and senior years.
  
  
• First Year Freshmen Merit Scholarships
  All freshmen who qualify on the basis of need may be awarded up to $4,400 to help defray college costs.
  • Second Year EOF Merit Scholarships: Any EOF freshman at Ramapo with a first year EOF merit scholarship) is eligible to receive a second year scholarship based on academic merit. Up to $4,400 in scholarship funds may be awarded.
  • Junior and Senior EOF Merit Scholarships: Each year, juniors and seniors who have earned a minimum overall 3.0 grade point average and have established a record of service to the college and/or to their home communities may apply for these scholarships.
  • In addition, other scholarship opportunities are available to EOF students. Thanks to the generosity of external donors, such as alumni, foundations, corporations and friends of the college. Two of these are specifically for EOF students: The EOF Program Advising Board (PAB) Scholarship, and The Sidney J. Geltman Memorial Scholarship. More information on these awards and other externally funded scholarships, can be found on our Scholarships page.

Other Assistance
There are many expenses associated with attending college. There are the tuition/fees, room, board, and books for the fall and spring terms. However, there could also be summer session tuition and fees, and other fees for CLEP examinations, graduate school applications, graduate school entrance examinations, and more.

Students seeking assistance with covering courses/career related activities including college-level proficiency exams, NYU Language Proficiency exams, National Student Exchange Program enrollment fees, professional association educational events, board certification fees, and professional licensure fees, can apply for funding.  Students can also apply for awards which cover graduate school related fees including admission applications, entrance exams, and test prep courses.