Oregon Promise: Application, SAI & Tuition Rules

At a glance

Free if eligible

What it covers: For 2026–27, full-time/full-year awards range from $2,280 to $4,716. This is last-dollar community-college tuition support after Pell/Oregon Opportunity Grant, up to the average 12-credit tuition calculation, not a full living-cost award.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission / OSAC ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission ↗
Income / financial rules: For the Class of 2026 cohort (March 1, 2026–February 28, 2027 graduates), final SAI must be below 27,000; at 27,000 is excluded. This is not an income cap, and a future graduating cohort’s SAI limit is not established by this rule.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission ↗
Who to check first: Be a recent Oregon high-school/GED completer with unweighted cumulative high-school GPA at least 2.0 or at least 145 on every GED test, and ordinarily 12 months Oregon residence before college; a dependent student’s parent(s) must also live in Oregon.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission / OSAC ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission ↗
Application timing: Deadlines roll by high-school/GED completion date, and usually require applying during senior year or immediately after GED completion. The captured page closes the older cohort and announces October 2026 for the new July 2026–June 2027 cohort; use OSAC’s deadline tool for your case.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission ↗

Read official guidanceYou’ll leave FreeCheapEdu. The program makes the eligibility decision.

Check your eligibility

Some items describe alternative routes rather than requirements for everyone. Use the route that applies to you as a preparation checklist; the program makes the eligibility decision.

Be a recent Oregon high-school/GED completer with unweighted cumulative high-school GPA at least 2.0 or at least 145 on every GED test, and ordinarily 12 months Oregon residence before college; a dependent student’s parent(s) must also live in Oregon.Normally start an Oregon community college within six months of high-school/GED completion, by your required term, and enroll at least half-time. The programme has graduation-based timing, not a general age cutoff; ask OSAC about the specifically documented exception routes.The grant ends at 90 attempted college credits, including high-school college/AP/IB credits, summer, other-college credits and failed/withdrawn courses. This is not a fixed number of calendar years.For 2027–28 onward, a FAFSA-eligible student in a mixed-status family cannot use ORSAA instead and still qualify. Undocumented/DACA applicants must use the application appropriate to their actual eligibility.

As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission / OSAC ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission ↗

How to apply

1
Submit BOTH the separate Oregon Promise application in the OSAC Student Portal and the correct-year FAFSA/ORSAA by your graduation-linked deadline; list at least one Oregon community college.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission ↗
2
Read the award email, finish college verification before term and confirm your required start/enrollment with the financial-aid office. Keep a permanent email current in the OSAC portal.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission ↗
3
Check the current-recipient renewal instructions: annual FAFSA/ORSAA, satisfactory progress and continuing required enrollment apply. Do not treat a new-applicant graduation deadline as your renewal deadline.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission / OSAC ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission ↗

What to watch for

The captured main page still labels the older application closed and announces an October 2026 opening for July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027 graduates. Check OSAC for the actual portal opening and your own deadline; the calendar month alone does not prove it opened.

As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission ↗

Oregon Promise does not pay summer courses; college charges above the tuition calculation and non-tuition costs can remain. Starting school or applying after the permitted window can lose your one opportunity.

As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission / OSAC ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission ↗

Foster youth who earned a high-school/GED credential on or after July 1, 2020 while placed out of state may have Oregon residency waived and 12 months instead of six to start college. Contact OSAC for the specific application deadline.

As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission / OSAC ↗

Common questions

What is the main benefit?

For 2026–27, full-time/full-year awards range from $2,280 to $4,716. This is last-dollar community-college tuition support after Pell/Oregon Opportunity Grant, up to the average 12-credit tuition calculation, not a full living-cost award.

As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission / OSAC ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission ↗

Is there an income limit?

For the Class of 2026 cohort (March 1, 2026–February 28, 2027 graduates), final SAI must be below 27,000; at 27,000 is excluded. This is not an income cap, and a future graduating cohort’s SAI limit is not established by this rule.

As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission ↗

When should I apply?

Deadlines roll by high-school/GED completion date, and usually require applying during senior year or immediately after GED completion. The captured page closes the older cohort and announces October 2026 for the new July 2026–June 2027 cohort; use OSAC’s deadline tool for your case.

As of Oct 16, 2026 · Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission ↗