College Assistance Migrant Program (84.149A)

The College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) assists students who are migratory or seasonal farmworkers (or immediate family members of such workers) enrolled in their first year of undergraduate studies at an institution of higher education (IHE).

Types of Projects

Services include outreach to persons who are eligible, counseling, tutoring, skills workshops, financial aid stipends, health services, and housing assistance to eligible students during their first year of college. Limited follow-up services are provided to participants after their first year.

Services to Students

A CAMP project provides services to assist participants in completing their first year of college, to assure the success of the participants in meeting the project’s objectives, and in succeeding in an academic program of study at the Institute of Higher Education (IHE). The types of allowable services include:

• Outreach and recruitment services to eligible persons
• Personal, academic, and career counseling
• Tutoring and academic skill building instruction and assistance
• Assistance with special admissions
• Health services
• Assistance in obtaining student financial aid
• Housing support for students living in institutional facilities and commuting students
• Exposure to cultural events, academic programs, and other educational/cultural activities not available to migrant youth
• Internships

In addition, a CAMP project must provide follow up services for students after they have completed their first year of college. However, grantees may not use more than 10 percent of their awarded funds for follow up services. Follow up services could include:

• Monitoring and reporting the academic progress of a student’s first year of college and their subsequent years in college
• Referring students to on- or off- campus providers of counseling services, academic assistance, or financial aid

Eligibility and Recruitment

Recruiters focus on key actions to successfully recruit eligible HEP/CAMP students: informing, identifying, screening, and selecting. Creating a Recruitment Plan will provides strategic direction and an agreed upon focus for your program's recruitment activities and goals. Providing good customer service is also critical to your efforts because referrals by former and current HEP/CAMP students serve among your most valuable recruitment tools.

Resources

• Non-Regulatory Guidance on HEP and CAMP Recruitment and Eligibility

Grant Management and Monitoring

Monitoring is an integral part of the Department of Education’s grant administration and oversight. The end goal of the Department’s monitoring is to promote the efficient and effective achievement of the program objectives. These objectives are in support the Department’s mission to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. OME conducts monitoring to:

Legislation

• 1998 Amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965
• The Higher Education Opportunity Act (2008)

Regulations

• Program Regulations are found at 34 CFR 206.
• The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) also apply.

Guidance

• Non-Regulatory Guidance on HEP and CAMP Recruitment and Eligibility
• Non-Regulatory Guidance on Allowable Services to HEP and CAMP Students

Applicant Information

Timeline

Application Closing Date and Time: June 12, 2026

Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time.

View the FY 2026 84.149A CAMP Application Notice and Instructions

Instructions

Applicants are required to follow the 2025 Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on August 29, 2025 (90 FR 42234) and available at ED 2025 Common Instructions.

• Watch FY 2026 HEP and CAMP Pre-Application Presentation.
• View the slide deck for the FY 2026 HEP and CAMP Pre-Application Presentation.

Call for Peer Reviewers

• Learn more about serving as a peer reviewer for the HEP and CAMP grant competitions.

New Directors’ Guide for the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) and College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP)

This guide is intended for new HEP and CAMP directors. It includes a compilation of the resources and information that will assist directors with the administration of HEP and CAMP projects. Please note that the Office of Migrant Education (OME) may release updated versions of this guide. To view the version history, please see the upper right corner of this document. 

The information provided in this guide is intended for all grantees and does not address specific questions or unique circumstances. This guide does not provide any new interpretations of statutes, regulations, or guidance. It is provided purely for the purpose of technical assistance. As always, we encourage grantees to contact their program officer with questions specific to their program.

Mentoring Initiative (MI)

The purpose of the MI is to establish mentor-mentee relationships between experienced High School Equivalency Program (HEP) and College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) directors and directors who are new to HEP and CAMP grant management.

New directors are directors who have been serving in their roles for three or fewer years. Mentors are seasoned directors who provide guidance and support to mentees. Mentors ensure that mentees have a strong understanding of federal program guidelines and performance objectives and coach mentees toward continued success.

The MI is funded and managed through the OME’s technical assistance (TA) contract. HEP and CAMP Subject Matter Experts coordinate this initiative. Participation is optional and voluntary but strongly recommended for new directors.

Mentors and mentees may submit requests for travel to each other’s institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations to learn more about each other’s programs. Travel is funded through the TA contract.

The National High School Equivalency Program (HEP) and College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) Association

The Association is dedicated to ensuring that migrant and farmworker youths have access to earning GEDs and postsecondary education opportunities. The National HEP-CAMP Association Web Page provides general information about the HEP and CAMP programs as well as links to individual directors of HEP and CAMP programs across the country.

National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS)

The U.S. Department of Labor is the only national information source on the demographics and working and living conditions of U.S. farmworkers. Since the NAWS began surveying farmworkers in 1988, it has collected information from over 25,000 workers. The survey samples all crop farmworkers in three cycles each year in order to capture the seasonality of the work. The NAWS locates and samples workers at their work sites, avoiding the well-publicized undercount of this difficult-to-find population. During the initial contact, arrangements are made to interview the respondent at home or at another convenient location.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Survey (NASS), Census of Agriculture

The census of agriculture is a complete accounting of United States agricultural production. It is the only source of uniform, comprehensive agricultural data for every county in the Nation. The census includes as a farm every place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold or normally would have been sold during the census year. The census of agriculture is taken every five years covering the years ending in “2”; and “7.”

2024: 16 grantees

2023: 4 grantees

2022: 11 grantees

2021: 17 grantees

2020: 16 grantees