Anyone who has graduated with a 2.5 or higher can apply for the reward of having 90 credits free. Its first come first serve; so get it while it lasts.

Oregon Promise is state grant (free) money. It applies to any community college in the state of Oregon—in person, online, or a combination of the two. The grant is for 90 credits and can be part time or full time but to stop is to walk away from the money. 

The application opens in November and is recommended to be done earlier rather than later, before spring break. It takes only 4-5 minutes to complete the application for a scholarship that is one of only two in the whole country. The scholarship closes on February 1 for semester graduates and June 1 for semester 2 grads. 

The scholarship is great for many people; from someone wanting to someone interested in the trades to someone with no idea of what they want to do. Kimberly Connolly said “ You can absolutely do a two-year degree that transfers to a four-year college in Oregon”. 

To apply to Oregon Promise a FAFSA or ORSAA application is necessary. This is not optional and should be done as soon as possible to allow time for it to process. Filing a FAFSA out will also be beneficial for filling out many other scholarships. 

Cadence Bahr, a senior at McNary, mentioned this website https://app.oregonstudentaid.gov/. It is a website that shows different scholarships that might be available for each particular person. 

“It's not terribly hard,” said Bahr about filling out the form. 

She did warn however that a big mistake a lot of people make is to wait to fill out their FAFSA form. Doing so, even if ones not going to use it, will be useful and even necessary to access scholarships. Which includes the Oregon Promise.

The Oregon Promise application opens in November. Classes must be started at a particular time and must continue on a steady pace for until all 90 credits have been earned, or risk forfeiting the money. The only break that can be taken is in the summer holidays when it is mandatory.

Be warned that any credits earned before the grant has been awarded ( high school college credits) will still be counted towards that 90 credit limit. 

Every year a student must renew their award to remain eligible. To do this they must submit a FAFSA or ORSAA application by June 1. To renew the award a student does not need to complete another application.

If a student has been awarded the grant then they will be notified by OSAC via email. Award status can also be checked on the OSAC student portal.

For help in your college journey visit Kimberly Connolly at the McNary college and career center. For online resources visit the college and career center website at https://sites.google.com/salkeiz.k12.or.us/ccc/home, and the Oregon Promise website at https://oregonstudentaid.gov/oregon-promise.aspx to explore your options.