Oregon Universities Developing New Scholarship Programs

Black Issues in Higher Education, March 4, 1999

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Oregon State University (OSU) has followed the University of Oregon with a new scholarship program to lure students in a competitive market for higher education.

Independent colleges have responded with a plan for a new statewide merit scholarship to promote student choice and access to both public and private schools.

The variety of proposals has some state officials worried that Oregon's neediest students might be left out as new scholarships are based more on merit than financial need.

The new $500,000 Oregon State scholarship program could finance between 350 and 450 new scholarships. There's no essay or application and every freshman who applies to OSU will be considered.

Selections will be based on academic ability and financial need with awards ranging from $1,000 to $6,000, Bontrager says.

Last month, the University of Oregon announced a new scholarship that automatically grants between $1,000 and $2,000 annually to entering freshmen who graduate from an Oregon high school with high grades. The $2 million annual program doesn't factor in financial need.

In contrast, OSU will give higher grants to students with greater financial need, Bontrager says, but students could still earn a grant based solely on merit.

The competition for students is growing as the state prepares to switch to a new system of funding Oregon's seven public universities aimed at making the campuses more financially independent, instead of pooling the funding. Under the new system, any declines in enrollment could mean budget cuts.

Independent colleges are responding with proposals that would link college scholarships to new state standards for high school students, says Gary Andeen, director of the Oregon Independent Colleges Association.