California State University, Sacramento
PA-8: Affordability and Access

Sacramento State’s strategy to support non-traditional students goes beyond academic support. Our goal is to address the holistic self through a multidimensional approach that understands the experience by addressing the social, emotional, physical, and academic needs of non-traditional students. To address needs effectively, we take into consideration the rich diversity within the student population, and the intersectionality that exists within this student group. Programs includes: The Law Enforcement Candidate Scholars (LECS), The College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), The Dreamer Resource Center (DRC), The Peer & Academic Resource Center (PARC), The DEGREES Project, The Transfer Peer Coach Program (TPCP), The Career Tracks Program, Crisis Assistance and Resource Education Support (CARES), The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) among many others.

In addition to the programs noted above, Sacramento State is home to a range of programs that support and gather the strength of non-traditional students to leverage their success in college. This includes the provision of help to students who are first generation, low-income, and from special population groups. Services to non-traditional students range from the provision of advising and counseling to support through customized program anchors in the institution including the Parents and Families Program to assist student parents, the U Mentor Program to provide help in the form of mentorship, the Peer and Academic Resource Center (PARC) to direct students to academic and student support services in their classes via one-to-one tutoring, supplemental instruction, peer based workshops, and peer advising components.

Comprehensive retention and graduation success support is knitted to the student experience through personalized peer coaching, weekly outreach and communications, and support services through a network of faculty and staff in the form of an advisor, coach, and equity staff member to help students achieve ultimate success by way of the DEGREES Project.
Other program-based initiatives for non-traditional students include assistance through Improve Your Tomorrow, the Male Empowerment Collaborative, Persist, an initiative for second year students, Guardian Scholars and help through the Unit’s cultural centers including the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, and Native Scholars Program, and Project Hmong. Students wishing to pursue graduate level study also receive support through the Executive Trainers Program through group based practices to foster the pipeline from undergraduate to graduate level study.

Non-traditional students also have access to support through college-based educational equity initiatives that are positioned in each College to help guide students in their major coursework and to build connection and student success in navigating the major and academic College. This arsenal of College efforts includes: The Arts and Letters tutoring support effort, the College of Business Educational Equity Program, the College of Education Equity Program, the Health and Human Services Equity Program, the MESA Engineering Program, the Science Educational Equity Program, and the Cooper-Woodson College Enhancement Program.

Sacramento State’s high enrollment of low-income students is the result of our institution’s recruitment philosophy, intentional family-oriented approach, and personalized practices. Programs that focus on outreach, recruitment and making the institution affordable to low-income students include but are not limited to these:

• The College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) has successfully operated at Sacramento State since 1986. CAMP is funded by a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Migrant Education to help migratory or seasonal farmworkers (or children of such workers) to enroll at Sacramento State.

• For the last seven years, Sacramento State, in partnership with Univision 19, has hosted Feria de Educación, an educational fair that introduces Spanish-speaking high school students and their families to information and resources needed to enroll and finance post-secondary education.

In support of low-income students, the Educational Opportunity Program serves as a hub of support for the admission and support of low-income students who are the first in their family to attend college. The program provides summer programming to help students get ahead in their college journey, advising support, learning community programming to connect students to faculty and their peers, a career course to help form the connection from college to career. Counseling and connection to the major through college based partnerships, leadership development, and transitional student support aimed to improve retention and graduation. EOP students also receive an EOP grant throughout the duration of their college enrollment based on meeting program eligibility standards.
The university provides many scholarship opportunities to non-traditional students. For example, the Anthony J. Leones Scholarship Program and Future Scholars Program to help students fulfill their college degree attainment goals while providing the fiscal support to ease potential hardships associated with paying for college costs.

The University also recently established the Center for First Generation Student Initiatives to provide centralized support to first generation students. The Center provides workshops, community referrals and connection, advising, peer mentorship, student life programming, and personal development components designed to aid the first-generation student experience of collegiate life. The campus holds the First Forward designation, is a first generating serving institution through “I Strive,” and is home to the Tri Alpha Honor Society for first generation students.

Sacramento state defines "low income" students based on a students eligibility for the federal Pell Grant