Support & Empowerment Program
Services for Special Populations as defined by Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V)
Our Mission:
The mission of the Support and Empowerment Program (SEP) is to promote student success! SEP supports students who are enrolled in a Workforce Education program who also meet at least one of the special populations categories as defined by the Carl D. Perkins Grant. SEP Success coaches provide students with academic and personal coaching, referrals to on and off campus resources, skill development, goal setting, and financial assistance with transportation and textbooks.
(Financial Assistance is contingent upon Congressional support and meeting monthly SEP requirements.)
The Support and Empowerment Program understands that navigating college while balancing all of life’s demands can be challenging. SEP Success Coaches are here to support and empower you! See below what SEP offers and check to see if you are eligible to apply.
SEP Offers:
- Academic & Personal Support through One-On-One meetings with a SEP Coach
- Navigating College
- Connecting to Campus & Community Resources
- Crisis Intervention
- Developing a Sense of Belonging & Community through campus involvement.
- Improving skills in: Time & Stress Management, Study Skills, Decision Making, Problem Solving & more
- Financial Assistance: Textbook & Transportation
Eligible Students:
If you are a student enrolled in a Workforce education program (AAS degree or certificate) and meet a t least one of the following classifications, McLennan Community College offers support to help you succeed in college and in life.
- Individual with a disability registered with MCC's Office of Accommodations
- Economically disadvantaged or low-income individual
- Individual preparing for a non-traditional field for their gender
- Single parent or single pregnant woman
- Out-of-workforce individual or displaced homemakers who have been widowed, left, divorced, or have a disabled spouse
- Individuals whose dominant and native language is not English
- Individual who is experiencing homelessness or has experienced homelessness within the past 12 months
- Current or former foster care youth
- Dependent of an active duty member of the armed forces
After meeting the initial eligibility requirements above, you must also meet ALL of the eligibility requirements listed in the Program Guidelines.
Application Details
Are you interested in learning more about the Support and Empowerment Program? Meeting eligibility and program requirements does not mean acceptance into the program. It means that you meet requirements to apply. Acceptance is based on Perkins grant guidelines and a limited number of students. For Fall and Spring semesters, SEP accepts up to 60 students and for the Summer semesters we accept up to 30 students.
After your application is received, you will receive a confirmation email from a staff member confirming your application status. Please know it can take several weeks to receive your application confirmation email. Please see the video below for more information about the program and application process.
The Spring 2025 SEP Application is now OPEN, and are due by 11:45p on Sunday, January 5, 2025.
Application Processing Deadline for Staff: 5:00p, Thursday, January 9, 2025.
Acceptance Letters Emailed to Students: Monday, January 13, 2025
**NOTE: Applications do not save progress, so you must complete the entire application and upload all supporting documents in one session. After submission, be sure to monitor your student email regularly, as you may be contacted by staff for additional information, missing documents, or corrections. If you do not respond with the requested items or updates by the processing deadline, your application will be marked as incomplete and will not be considered for the program.
Additional application resources:
- Sample Financial Aid Award Letter (PDF)
- How to fill out SEP Declaration Forms using Adobe Reader (PDF)
- How to fill out a PDF using Adobe Fill & Sign (video)
We look forward to hearing from you! We're always here to help and support you!
Call us at 299-8226 or email us at sep@mclennan.edu Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
