Oregon Scholarships

The Ford Scholars Program awards up to 120 renewable scholarships each year to promising students from Oregon (and Siskiyou County, California) who work hard, have significant financial need, and face barriers to higher education. The renewable award provides up to $40,000 per year, calculated from financial need and the cost of attendance at the student's college. Applicants must be graduating high school seniors, recent graduates, or the equivalent who have never enrolled full time in college; plan to earn a bachelor's degree; enroll full time, on campus, in the fall at a federal-aid-eligible public or private nonprofit college in their home state; and have a completed financial aid application with a Student Aid Index of no more than 8,000. There is no minimum GPA. Applications open December 1 and close March 2.

Incoming first-year and transfer students from WUE-eligible Western states who are admitted to the University of New Mexico are automatically considered for the Western Undergraduate Exchange Plus program. Eligible students need a 3.0 GPA or 20 ACT (1030 SAT). WUE Plus reduces non-resident tuition to the New Mexico resident rate, with a value of up to $23,149 per year. The award is renewable for up to four years with 15 credits and a 2.5 GPA each fall and spring semester. No separate scholarship application is required, but applying by your admission deadline improves consideration.

Renewable $5,000-per-year scholarship ($20,000 total) for Oregon public high school seniors overcoming hardship who plan a bachelor's degree at an accredited four-year U.S. college. Priority for first-in-family and demonstrated financial need; 3.0 GPA required (2.5–2.9 considered with improvement). Partnership selects eight scholars annually; apply via SmarterSelect when the Class cycle opens each fall.

Automatic tuition scholarship for nonresident incoming first-year, transfer, and post-baccalaureate students who are legal residents of Idaho or Oregon with a high school or transfer GPA of 3.0 or higher. Recipients receive $18,600 per year for up to four years (maximum $74,400) applied to CWU tuition while enrolled full time in at least 12 credits per quarter. First-year students must confirm Fall admission by May 1; transfer students by August 1. Renewal requires a 2.75 CWU cumulative GPA, Satisfactory Academic Progress, and maintenance of a permanent address in Idaho or Oregon.

Automatic WUE nursing award for incoming nonresident first-year students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents from a participating WUE state or territory, hold an unweighted GPA of 3.90 to 4.00, and are Pre-Nursing or Nursing majors. The scholarship covers 150% of resident tuition, saving about $16,339 per year for up to four years with full-time enrollment and a 3.00 renewal GPA. Construction Management, Radiological Science, alternative fee, and fully online majors are ineligible. Admission files must be complete by December 15 for fall.

College juniors, seniors, or graduate students pursuing civil engineering, welding engineering, welding engineering technology, or a related discipline may apply for the Matsuo Bridge Company Ltd. of Japan Scholarship through the AWS Foundation. Applicants need a high school diploma, at least a 3.0 GPA, and enrollment at a school in the United States. Priority goes to residents of California, Texas, Oregon, or Washington. One award of up to $10,000 is listed annually (AWS national scholarship materials also describe a broader dollar range across related awards). Apply through the AWS Foundation scholarship portal by the national deadline. Matsuo Bridge is a leading Japanese fabricator of steel for bridges, buildings, and other structures, including major suspension-bridge projects.

OnPoint and the Oregon School Activities Association award six scholarships annually to Oregon graduating seniors from OSAA member schools who earned a varsity letter in an OSAA-sanctioned sport or activity and hold at least a 3.5 unweighted GPA. Two winners receive $10,000 and four receive $5,000 toward post-secondary goals. Applicants submit personal essays on leadership and the impact of OSAA activities plus two recommendation letters. The program opens each spring and selects recipients based on academics, community involvement, and extracurricular achievement.

The Presidential Scholarship is Oregon State University's most prestigious and competitive admission-based award for new resident first-year students attending the Corvallis or Bend campuses. Recipients receive up to ten thousand dollars annually, renewable for three additional years, based on holistic review of the admission application emphasizing accomplishments, leadership, service, and academic potential. Eligible students must be current Oregon resident high school seniors at an Oregon high school with a minimum 3.85 unweighted GPA or 4.20 weighted GPA. All qualified students who apply for admission by February 2 are automatically reviewed; not every eligible student receives an offer.

Pride Foundation's scholarship program supports LGBTQ+ student leaders in the Northwest. Since 1993 it has awarded more than $10 million to over 2,600 students, and one application enters students into consideration for more than 60 scholarship funds. In the 2025 cycle the minimum total award was $7,500 and the average award was $8,670. Applicants must identify as LGBTQ+ or questioning and be a resident of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington (current resident, or lived in one of these states for at least a year within the last five years); they may study elsewhere. Any post-secondary path qualifies, including community college, four-year college, certificate and vocational/technical programs, and graduate or professional school. Citizenship is not checked. The application opens in October and closes in early January, with decisions in June.

The Staton Scholarship Program, established by Bernice Ingalls Staton, awards approximately twelve Robert W. and Bernice Ingalls Staton Scholarships each year to incoming Oregon first-year students with extraordinary financial need. For the 2025-2026 academic year Staton Scholars received seven thousand three hundred fifty dollars annually, renewable for up to four years and split evenly across fall, winter, and spring terms. No separate application is required. Apply for UO admission by January 15 and submit the FAFSA or ORSAA by March 1. Preference is given to first-generation college students and students majoring in humanities, visual arts, education, or music.