The Cabrillo Advancement Program (CAP) is a combination of innovative mentoring activities designed to increase the academic success of socially, educationally, and economically disadvantaged students in local middle and high schools. The goal is for participating students to graduate from high school and enroll at Cabrillo, receiving $2,000 in scholarships upon enrollment for their first and second year at Cabrillo. 

The CAP program began in 1991 at E.A. Hall Middle School in Watsonville with twelve scholarship recipients and ten alternates. CAP has grown to include 350 participants in fourteen schools throughout Santa Cruz County.

The Cabrillo College Foundation considers the CAP program one of its most successful outreach efforts. The program is attracting talented students to attend Cabrillo who might otherwise miss the opportunity to obtain a college degree.