[Libs-Or] Oregon Promise pays community college tuition for students with GPA 2.5 or over - but only if they apply now

['Michele Burke']

Public and School Librarians -

Please get the word out to high school students who don't think they can
afford college.

Oregon Promise <https://oregonstudentaid.gov/oregon-promise.aspx>
provides tuition grants to new high school graduates and GED recipients who
will begin community college classes in Fall 2018. The grants cover tuition
at an Oregon community college. I have worked with many Oregon Promise
students at Chemeketa and can verify that this is real.

To qualify, the student must be a recent grad with a GPA of 2.5, must not
have earned more than 90 college credits in high school, and must have
lived in Oregon for 12 months. This year, Oregon Promise grants are not
based on financial need and there isn't an SAT requirement.

What will make the student ineligible? Missing the application deadline.

*Students must complete the Oregon Promise application and
a FAFSA application within a short time of graduating and the deadline for
most current seniors is June 1, 2018.*

Please don't assume that high school counselors and teachers in your area
are informing and encouraging students. Our college has seen an influx of
Oregon Promise students, but we made a concentrated outreach effort in our
district, and we still missed people. Students, especially in rural areas,
may not be aware that the Oregon Promise opportunity exists. Students may
not be receiving outreach, they may not understand information they have
received, or they may not consider themselves "college material." Public
librarians and school librarians can help by reaching and encouraging
students and parents.

Please learn more
<https://oregonstudentaid.gov/oregon-promise-faq.aspx#awardupdate>, but
don't wait to push students to turn in their applications. Receiving an
Oregon Promise Grant and earning community college credit will become part
of the student's overall financial aid profile, but remember - turning in
an application doesn't commit the student, it just ensures that the student
has this as an option and doesn't miss out because of a paperwork deadline.

Although I don't administer this program for our college and I am not an
Oregon Promise expert, I am happy to talk about this and I hope you will
feel comfortable emailing or calling me.

As always, thank you for helping people see possibilities.

Sincerely,
~Michele

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michele Burke
Reference Librarian
Chemeketa Community College, Salem Campus
Office: 503.365-4711
Cell: 503.559-5518
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