HISTORY

The College Opportunities Program (COP) was established in 1970 by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as a demonstration project under the Model Cities program. Designed to provide a residential college experience for students facing educational, economic, or cultural barriers, COP targeted those who had not previously considered college an option. Initial recruitment focused on the model city neighborhoods of Kalihi-Pālama and Waiʻanae-Nānākuli. In 1973, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature began providing general funds for COP to recruit, screen, select, and prepare 75 Hawaiʻi residents statewide for a "Summer and First-Year Residential College Experience" at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.