Description
The Early Entrance Program (EEP) is a unique educational program that is specifically designed to permit young, highly gifted students to enroll in college as full-time students. Established at Cal State LA in 1982, the Program allows qualified students as young as 11 years of age, the opportunity to excel at the university level within the Honors College community. The average entering age is currently 13.5 years. All EEP students must be under the age of 16 by June 1st of the year in which they apply. The Program maintains a population of approximately 130 full-time, highly gifted teen-age students on the Cal State LA campus.
Mission
The Cal State Los Angeles Early Entrance Program (EEP) provides support and space for young scholars to begin college early, build relationships within a close-knit community, and integrate their academic and social development. EEP is part of the Cal State LA Honors College, which provides a scholarly environment that empowers highly-motivated and intellectually curious students to explore an interdisciplinary curriculum, embrace lifelong learning, and engage deeply in the greater Los Angeles community.
Our vision is to prepare exceptional students to create a brighter future by becoming well-rounded leaders dedicated to making a difference in their communities and the world.
Matriculation
EEP students pursue their baccalaureate degrees as full-time students at Cal State LA. The EEP IS NOT A TRANSFER PROGRAM. Students are expected to earn their degrees at this University. EEP students generally complete their undergraduate degrees within four to five years. Upon graduation, EEP students have pursued graduate or professional studies at many top universities, including but not limited to Brown, Cal Tech, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NYU, Princeton, Stanford, Thomas Jefferson Medical School, USC, Washington St. Louis Medical College, Vanderbilt, Yale, and all UC campuses, including UCLA and Berkeley. EEP graduates continue to make transformative contributions to many fields, including medicine, law, engineering, computer science, science research, public policy, business, and many others. Many of these alumni maintain a close relationship with the Program and its current students, often providing guidance and advice.
The High School Atmosphere
In many ways, the EEP experience remains similar to a normal high school experience. Each entering freshman class has a common Schedule of Curriculum, including courses designed to simulate a normal secondary school curriculum. Coursework includes Social Science, History, English, and Mathematics. EEP students must be on campus at least 4 days per week. They are encouraged to maintain a presence in the Honors College spaces to facilitate the development of friendships, engagement, and inclusion in campus events and activities.
The students in the EEP are also encouraged to maintain the relationships they formed with their friends from their previous schools, and they often participate in their traditional school activities. Such age-appropriate activities include sports, dances, and of course, the prom. EEP students also organize many similar activities for themselves here at the University. In addition to EEP, Cal State LA also houses the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA), which has a population of 500 adolescent high school students and the Marc and Eva Stern Math and Science High School. While these students do not take classes with the EEP students, we encourage interaction among these three groups of highly talented young students. This presence of high school populations on the campus allows the EEP students to blend in and go relatively unnoticed by age-traditional undergraduate students.