Some college-bound Keizer students may no longer qualify for the Oregon Promise Grant.

The scholarship offers tuition aid for Oregon community colleges and has recently tightened its restrictions.

“It’s time for Oregon to decide if the Oregon Promise is a promise or not; you owe this to your constituents,” Kim Conolly, McNary High School’s college and career counselor, wrote in a letter to legislators. 

Conolly helps students identify and apply for scholarships. She is hoping state legislators can mitigate the new limits. She wants Keizer residents to write to state Rep. Kevin Mannix, a Republican who represents Keizer. She also encourages residents to voice their concerns to Tina Kotek through the “Share My Opinion” page at www.oregon.gov. 

Despite the cinched restrictions, Conolly reported that a record high number of students applied for the scholarship this year. She said students are opting for community college over expensive four-year universities and competitive jobs.

“If you want nursing, if you want fire, if you want auto…this is Oregon community colleges,” she said. 

The state-funded scholarship is distributed according to an index that calculates individual student needs. Currently, there is a tentative cap on the index, which is substantially lower than in previous years. In 2024, when a higher cap was set, Conolly reached out to Chemeketa Community College to understand what families would be affected by the change.

In response, according to Conolly, Chemeketa estimated a family of four making about $150,000 per year would no longer qualify for the scholarship.

Conolly now assumes that the cutoff is even lower in 2025. She estimates that a four-person family making $100,000 per year may no longer qualify.

Erin Rau is the deputy director of the Office of Student Access and Completion, which administers the scholarship. She couldn’t confirm Conolly’s estimate. 

Rau said the index is based on many elements beyond household income. Certain factors contribute to the scholarship’s new restrictions, such as an increase in applications. Rau seconded Conolly’s observation that the scholarship had tremendous application rates this year.

One limiting factor is state funding. Rau said the state sets the minimum and maximum award for the scholarship each year which increase annually with the cost of education.

“Those are rising, we have larger applicant numbers, we have larger returner numbers, and so we then use the budget that we are getting from the state legislature to determine where that cutoff will need to be,” Rau said. 

In Conolly’s opinion, need-based students have access to other scholarships, like the Oregon Pell Grant. She doesn’t want the Oregon Promise Grant to exclude middle-class students who can’t pay for college. 

Conolly proposes that Oregon use emergency funding to raise the scholarship’s annual budget.  She also proposed to legislators making the scholarship ‘first come, first served.’

“We are looking at a future where there is just not enough funding for everything,” she said. 

In July, the state will finalize a cutoff on the scholarship if needed. Rau predicts a limit will be set. Conolly encourages residents to send letters of appeal to Keizer’s state representative. She also encourages residents to voice their concerns to Tina Kotek through the “Share My Opinion” page at www.oregon.gov.

News tip? Contact reporter Riley Ellis: r[email protected].

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