Educational Opportunity Centers through the Colleges of Worcester Consortium

ASA provides free college access and student loan counseling an Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) in Worcester. EOCs help to counsel adults on how to go back to school, advance their careers, and pay for their educations. These centers are operated by the Colleges of Worcester Consortium, an alliance of 13 higher education institutions in the Worcester area.

Kevin Fudge, an ASA Education Advisor, visits the EOC weekly to counsel borrowers who have defaulted on their student loans. For these borrowers, defaulted loans seem like an impassable barrier to continuing their education, since federal law prohibits students from borrowing additional federal student loans while in default. Yet Kevin provides them with guidance so they can get their finances on track again. He shows them how to get their loans back in good standing, and then teaches them the skills they need in order to avoid loan delinquency and default in the future. This kind of financial literacy can help borrowers keep a positive credit score and further their education with the help of advantageous, low-cost federal student loans.

Find an Educational Opportunity Center in your area.