The California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP) was established by the state legislature in 1978. Today, Cal-SOAP is instrumental in improving the flow of information about postsecondary education and financial aid while raising the achievement levels of low-income, elementary, and secondary school students or geographic regions with documented low-eligibility or college participation rates, and who are first in their families to attend college. Each project specializes in serving students within its community, the types of programs and services may differ. However, the projects share the common goal of improving the flow of information about postsecondary education and financial aid while raising achievement levels of targeted students.

Some common services provided by the consortia include advising, tutoring, parent outreach, and college awareness workshops. Today, 16 Cal-SOAP projects operate throughout California by consortia made up of secondary and postsecondary schools and community agencies. Cal-SOAP works in cooperation with other intersegmental outreach programs to avoid service duplication. Because each project specializes in serving students within its community, the types of programs and services may differ. However, the projects share the common goal of improving the flow of information about postsecondary education and financial aid while raising achievement levels of targeted students.

The Cal-SOAP program is administered by the California Student Aid Commission, with individual projects applying each year for continued state funding. Cal-SOAP has extensive intersegmental participation. Current Cal-SOAP projects include Central Coast (Santa Maria), Central Valley (San Joaquin), East Bay/Solano (Oakland, Richmond and Solano County), Inland Empire (through CSU San Bernardino), Long Beach, Los Angeles, Merced, Northcoast (Eureka), Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego/Imperial, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Barbara, South County Gilroy, and South San Joaquin.