Selection Process
East Bay College Fund grants Great Expectations Awards to students who graduate from Oakland public high schools in the Spring and attend four-year colleges/universities the following Fall. Additional public high schools may become eligible in the future.
January - Process begins
- Presentations are made by East Bay College Fund representatives to targeted schools and partner organizations
- Applications are distributed to all Oakland Unified School District college counselors and are available for download on this website.
- Students receive applications
March - Applications due and must include:
- Completed four-page application form
- A personal essay
- Copy of high school academic transcript with cumulative GPA for freshman through junior years
- Copy of Fall semester senior grades
- Two recommendation forms: 1) one from a current teacher and 2) one from another adult familiar with the student outside the classroom
- Verification of financial need - copy of recent parent and student Federal Income Tax Returns.
- SAT Reasoning (I) and SAT Subject Tests(II) scores (Note this data is collected for information purposes only and will NOT affect eligibility)
March/April - Applicant review and selection
Panels of diverse community members are assembled to:
- Thoroughly review each application
- Conduct personal interviews with all finalists
- Select the recipients