OregonMentor - Financial Aid

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Step 4: What's Offered in Oregon?
Oregon Financial Aid Programs
Oregon Residency
Tips for Completing the OSAC Scholarship Application
More Online Resources

Oregon Financial Aid Programs

The state of Oregon offers federal, state and private financial aid opportunities for residents with financial need, all administered by the Oregon Student Assistance Commission.

Oregon Opportunity Grant
The Oregon Opportunity Grant is awarded to Oregon residents based on their financial need. To be eligible, you also must be an undergraduate student enrolled full time at a public or independent college or university in Oregon. The amount of your award depends on your college costs and the type of school you attend. In 2005, the minimum award was $1,323. Opportunity grants may be transferred to most two- and four-year colleges in Oregon.

If you maintain satisfactory academic progress and file a new FAFSA each year demonstrating your financial need, you may receive a grant for up to 12 terms or eight semesters. Students enrolled in a course of study leading to a degree in theology, divinity or religious education are not eligible.

To apply, file your FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1 and before the March 1 postmark deadline.

Barbers and Hairdressers Grant
If you're an Oregon resident attending or planning to attend a licensed school of barbering, hair design, cosmetology, or manicure in Oregon, you may be eligible for a one-time $600 grant. You also must have financial need and enroll full time — at least nine months or 900 clock hours. Other restrictions apply. To learn more, see the financial aid officer at the school you plan to attend.

To apply, you must file the FAFSA far enough in advance (at least four weeks) so that the Oregon Student Assistance Commission receives your FAFSA information by January 1 of the award year. To apply, talk to the financial aid officer at the school you plan to attend and then complete the FAFSA. To learn more, go to www.getcollegefunds.org/barber_hairdresser.html.

Nursing Services Program
To encourage nurses to practice in Oregon's critically underserved communities and clinical practice areas, the state offers a loan repayment program. To qualify, you must be an Oregon resident with federal student loan debt. You may apply during the final year of your nursing program or after you complete it. For more information and an application, go to www.getcollegefunds.com/ad_repay_nursing_1.html.

Rural Health Services Program
Loan repayment benefits of up to $25,000 a year are available for physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who practice in a rural area of Oregon that has been determined to have unmet health needs. For more information, go to www.getcollegefunds.com/ad_repay_rural_health.html.

Deceased or Disabled Public Safety Officer Grant
Scholarships are available for children of public safety officers in Oregon who, in the line of duty, were killed or so disabled that their income is less than what they would have earned as public safety officers. Public safety officers include firefighters, police chiefs and officers, sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, state fire marshal and deputy fire marshals, county adult parole and probation officers, correctional officers, and state criminal justice investigators. Eligible students also must be Oregon residents with financial need who are enrolled or planning to enroll full time in undergraduate study at an Oregon public or independent college.

At public colleges, the award equals your tuition and fees. For independent colleges, you'll receive the sum of tuition and fees that University of Oregon students are charged. To apply, you'll need a certification of eligibility for the Disabled Officer Scholarship from the Oregon Student Assistance Commission. You then must submit the certification, along with transcripts, to the Commission, and file the FAFSA. For more information, send a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope to the Disabled Public Safety Officer Program, Oregon Student Assistance Commission, 1500 Valley River Drive, Suite 100, Eugene, OR 97401 or go to www.getcollegefunds.org/disabled_pso2003.pdf.

Foster Youth Scholarships
Up to $5,000 a year for college or vocational training is available for youth who are or were in foster care through Oregon's Chafee Education and Training Scholarship Program. To learn more, go to www.osac.state.or.us/chafeeetv.html.

In addition, the Former Foster Children Scholarship, administered by the Oregon Student Assistance Commission, provides financial aid to attend an Oregon college. A growing number of colleges and foundations also offer tuition waivers and scholarships for foster youth. To learn more, contact your high school counselor, your independent living program provider or your college's financial aid office, or go online to www.nrcys.ou.edu/nrcyd/state_pages/state/or.

Private Scholarships
The Oregon Student Assistance Commission administers more than 300 privately funded scholarships that are awarded to an estimated 3,500 students each year. Awards range from $500 to the total cost of your education, and each has its own eligibility requirements. You'll be considered for each award you're eligible for, including new awards that become available after the application is published.

Summaries and requirements for each scholarship are available at www.getcollegefunds.org/p_scholarships.html.

To apply, you'll need to file both the FAFSA and the OSAC Scholarship Application by the deadlines: February 15 — the priority deadline for the Early Bird Scholarships and the Southern Oregon University scholarships (if you are a new SOU student); and March 1 — the non-priority deadline. (Additional forms, available on the Web site, may be required by some of the Ford Family Foundation scholarships.)

By applying online, you save time and reduce the chance of errors. For the FAFSA, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov; for the OSAC application, or eApp, go to www.getcollegefunds.org/eapp.html. Paper applications for both are available from your high school counselor or college financial aid administrator. The OSAC application also may be downloaded from the Web site.

Oregon College Savings Plan
The Oregon College Savings Plan is the state's qualified state tuition program that helps families save for college. Funds may be used to pay for higher education expenses at any eligible school. For more information, go to www.oregoncollegesavings.com.

Oregon Residency

For tuition purposes, the individual public colleges and universities determine your residency status. Generally, you must have lived in Oregon for at least one year before becoming eligible for in-state tuition fees. If you're a dependent student, your residency is based on the residency status of your parents or legal guardian. For more information, contact each college's financial aid or admissions office when applying.

Tips for Completing the OSAC Scholarship Application

To apply for one or more of the private scholarships administered by the Oregon Student Assistance Commission, you'll need to file both the FAFSA and the OSAC Scholarship Application. Here are tips to help you successfully complete the OSAC application.

Sign up to take the SAT I or ACT exam in September. You should take these exams at least six weeks before the March 1 deadline. Students without an SAT I or ACT score aren't as competitive as those with scores.
Pick up the OSAC application at your high school or college financial aid office in December, or go to www.getcollegefunds.org/eapp.html for an eApp. By filing online with eApp, you'll reduce the processing time and the chance of data entry errors.
Start on the Activities Chart right away. Be sure to include all your school and community activities, volunteer service, and paid experience in the past four years, in addition to your other significant accomplishments.
Before drafting your essay, carefully read the instructions. You may have to write more than one essay. Be sure to answer each question and limit each essay to one page as instructed. If you must write by hand, be sure to print neatly and dark enough, as your essay will be photocopied.
Be sure to include any membership or employee information as required for some scholarships. Indicate whether you're the member or employee, or the child of a member, or employee of the organization sponsoring the scholarship.
Keep a copy of your application and everything you send with it.
Staple the application materials in the following order: application form, activities chart, the two required essays, transcripts, and any additional essays or documentation.
Do not attach photos, resum�s, or letters of recommendations. They'll only be tossed.
Mail your application and all materials by March 1, the postmark deadline. There are no exceptions, even for transcripts, essays, or anything else mailed separately. If you're filing electronically, be sure your attachments are postmarked by March 1.
Respond immediately if a selection committee requests additional information.
Watch for award letters, which are sent beginning April 15 through the end of August. If you do not receive an award, you should receive a postcard as soon after August 15 as possible.
Remember to apply each year you're eligible. More than 100 scholarships are for continuing college students.

More Online Resources

If you think you'll need financial help, apply for it. For more information, contact your high school counselor or college financial aid administrator or go to:

www.getcollegefunds.org
Getcollegefunds, a Web site for students sponsored by the Oregon Student Assistance Commission (OSAC), where you'll find information on paying for college, managing your debt and applying for scholarships.

www.osac.state.or.us
The Oregon Student Assistance Commission, to learn more about the federal, state, and private financial aid programs. You may write to the Commission at 1500 Valley River Drive, Suite 100, Eugene, OR 97401. You can also call toll free 800.452.8807, or toll free TTY 800.735.1232.

www.edfund.org
EDFUND, for information on federal student loans, college and financial planning, strategies for managing your loans, and more. Or call 877.2EDFUND (that's toll free 877.233.3863).

studentaid.ed.gov
The Federal Student Aid Information Center, to learn more about Pell Grants and other federal aid and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Or call 800.4FED.AID (that's toll free 800.433.3243)

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