A new grant program, authorized by the 2015 state legislature, helps pay for tuition at Oregon community colleges.
The Oregon Promise Grant can be applied towards community college tuition and other expenses. It can be received in addition to other state and federal financial aid or for students who don’t qualify for other grants.
Bob Brew is Executive Director of the Oregon Office of Student Access and Completion. He says the grant should encourage more students to go to community college.
Brew: "We're hoping it makes it somewhat risk free. So, what we've seen and what we worry about is students who want to try community college but they're scared to try it because they know they might have to go into debt to do that."
The legislature appropriated 10 million dollars for the first year of the grant. It's for students graduating from high school or getting their GED within 6 months of fall enrollment. Students must have a 2.5 high school g.p.a and have lived in Oregon for at least a year. The grant application window opens November 1st.